Digital Tradition Mirror

Devil and the Farmer's Wife

(This score available as ABC, SongWright, PostScript, PNG, or PMW, or a MIDI file)
Pennywhistle notation and Dulcimer tab for this song is also available

Devil and the Farmer's Wife

There was a man, when he was first born,
     Poor old Anthony Rolly
There was a man, when he was first born
He had no horse to plow his land
     With a right leg, left leg, upper leg, under leg
     Poor old Anthony Rolly.

So he hitched the pig with his old cow
And plowed the corn, the Devil knows how.

Well, the Devil he came to the old man's plow
"It's your oldest son I'm after now."

"You cannot have my oldest son
You'll have to take the old woman or none."

So the devil he took her all up on his back
And like and old fool he went carrying his pack.

Well he carried her over three fields more,
At length he came to his own trap door.

There sat little Devils all bound in chain,
She upped with her shovel and knocked out their brains.

Then one little Devil all in a red cap,
She upped with her shovel and gave him a slap.

Then three little Devils peeped over the wall
Crying, "Take her back, Daddy, she'll brain us all."

So the devil he took her all up on his back
And like and old fool he went carrying her back.

Well, he carried her over three fields more
At length he came to the old man's door.

Now that shows that the women are worse than the men
They'll go to Hell and come back again.

Recorded by Stekert, Songs of a New York Lumberjack
Child #278
See also The Devil and the Farmer's Wife
RG

Thanks to Mudcat for the Digital Tradition!