Digital Tradition Mirror

Sally Wheatley

Sally Wheatley
(Alex Glasgow)

Noo Ah'm myest distressed and sad
tho' Ah once'st was blithe and glad
and cud trip aboot tha toon both (trim and neatly?)
Ah was happy neet and morn
But aall soch joys Ah've shunned
since Ah fell sa deep in love wi' Sally Wheatley.

Oh dear me, Ah divent na what to de
for Sally's stole my heart away completely,
and Ah'll niver get it back
for she gans wi' Mr. Black
and they say he's gan ter marry Sally Wheatley.

Hoo Ah felt Ah divent naa,
the forst time I Sally saa,
in a threesome reel she stepped (hopped?) aboot so sweetly,
and Ah might a stood a chance
had Ah asked hor up to dance
but Ah was ower shy ta speak to Sally Wheatley.
Oh dear me......

Noo as often is the case
ye'll find others in yer place
if you fail ta shove ahead and fettle reetly,
for Ah'd scarcely torned me back
when Ah spied yon Mr. Black-
he wuz jiggin' roond tha room wi' Sally Wheatly.
Oh Dear me...

and he must hev got it reet
when he set hor hyem that neet -
after work dressed up he gans ta see hor neetly
There's great deanger in deleay
and A'd not be sad todeay-
if Ah had a hort Ah'd break't for Sally Wheatley
Oh dear me.....

with regard to the lyrics for "Sally Wheatley":I don't have an
authoritative source, and the ballad is a bit obscure so I don't
think you'll be lucky. However, I was 15 years in the North East
of England and have family connections there. Consequently I have
heard it a few times, although I would not say it was still popular
as a folk song. I've done my best from memory, please excuse my poor
attempt at a Geordie dialect. This would normally be delivered by
someone with a strong Newcastle accent, which is very hard to
understand if you haven't lived there, but this accent softens
somewhat when they sing -a bit in the way that everybody tends to
favour an American accent when singing no matter what their
origins. KRS
Copyright Alex Glasgow

Differing opinions regarding authorship:

Though most recordings say that it's traditional (and it's obviously a lot older
than Alex Glasgow!), that's not the whole story.  The north-eastern singer Bob
Fox credits it to Joe Wilson of Newcastle (c.1840-1874), a stage-comedia
Feet Still, Geordie Hinny.  Bob knows his stuff, so I'd take that as definitive.
I believe that the version mostly sung nowadays has changed a bit from the
original, though, so it's on its way to being traditional, at any rate. MD

Sally Wheatley is a Joe Wilson song and published in "Bits of Sangs and Homely
Stories by Joe Wilson" Published in Newcastle in the late 1880's (I don't have
my copy to hand but I will check out the date and publisher). The song also
features in the Musical "Joe Lives!" which was written by Alex Glasgow and
others hence the association. "Joe Lives" was a project carried out by the
Newcastle Playhouse sometime in the mid 70's and recounts the Life of Joe Wilson
together with many of his songs and drolleries. Joe was a real 'Character' and
in his time was a publican, a music hall performer and a famous Temperance
speaker.  PB

HK
oct00

Thanks to Mudcat for the Digital Tradition!

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