I was sitting beside Adam Duthie, at least he came and sat on to my knee, that was William
Duthie's brother, and I said to him, whenever this man began to sing, Lord, I said, you
should stop.
Oh, it can't be as bad as that, oh my God, I said, it's terrible.
I said, you've no idea what you're going, oh, but it would pass.
And he sadly couldn't stand it longer, and a lot of gay decent ladies there, you know.
And this was his song.
I kind of do it, but I have a verse or two.
A merchant's son there lived in Hull, a beggar wench in the, I made the tune, but, la la
dee la la dee la.
A merchant's son, oh, that lived in Hull, a beggar wench in the nutted well.
He mounted on his gallant steed, and away for pleasure he rode with speed.
La la dee la la dee la dee.
And as he rode, he chanced to see a beggar wench in a low degree.
He took pity on her, and he mourned her kiss, and he says, my dear, you've a pretty face.
La la dee la la dee la dee.
If you'll consent with me to lie, I shall with gold you satisfy.
With a merry smile she gave consent, sat down a little to her, and they went, la la dee
la la dee la dee.
And it went on, and I didn't do anything.
What else happened to it, don't you remember?
Eh?
Do you remember any more of it?
Oh, I bet I would remember if I had tried it and tried it and tried it, but you see,
the thing was...
What else happened in the song?
Oh, in the song?
Well, you see, it went on, and he slept with a girl, and she bolted with his clothes and
his guineas and everything through the night, and he had to rise a kind of without any clothes,
and he had to get his horse and get a rig of some kind, and the last verse is something
like this, and as he rode he often swore he'd never lie with a beggar more.
La la dee la la dee la dee.
And this Adam Duffy, he sat, and I felt him just fidgeting, you know, and just...
And then he sprung up, and he came like, oh, rough enough, rough enough, he says, except
I could rouse.
And then the foreman was in a rage and thought they weren't good enough, and there was a
rowdy handy about it.
Oh, you've no idea the songs they would sing.
Oh, not very often before a woman, but odd times before a farm-serving girl, but half
the time she didn't care much, but the other time there was real decent girls, you see.