SIMON BRODIE

Symon Brodie had a cow:
The cow was lost, and he cou'd na find her;
When he had done what man cou'd do,
The cow came hame, and the tail behind her.


Honest, auld Symon Brodie,
Stupid, auld, doited bodie;
I'll awa' to the North Countrie,
And see my ain dear Symon Brodie.

Symon Brodie had a wife,
And wow but she was braw and bonnie;
She took the dish-clout aff the bink,
And prin'd it to her cockernonie.
Honest, auld Symon Brodie, &c.
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Herd 1776 II.230. Paul Past & Present (1881), 148 (no. 8)
[followed by Rymour Club Misc. III (1928), 184, Nicht at
Eenie (1932), 5, Montgomerie SNR (1946), 109 (no. 135)] is
slightly different: Simon Brodie he had a coo;// If he had
done what a man could do,/ The coo had come hame wi' her tail
behind her./ [Cho.] Puir auld Simon Brodie,/ Puir wee doited
body;/ I will awa to the North Countrie/ An' see my ain auld
Simon Brodie.// S.B. he had/ wondrous bonny/ He's taen the
dish-cloot oot o' the bink [etc.] The tune (Simon Brody) is
in the Bodleian MS. of David Young, 1740; McFarlan MS., c.
1743; and before in the Skene MS. as Kette Bairdie; see
"Katie Beardie".
Whistle-Binkie (1890 ed., I.287) has an anonymous poem
incorporating the above, beginning:

Heard ye e'er o' our gudeman,
The gaucy laird o' braid Dunwodie,
The wale o' cocks at cap or can,
Honest canty Simon Brodie!

Stanzas 3 and 4 run thus (lines 5-8, the varied chorus,
omitted):

Simon Brodie had ane wife,
I wat she was baith proud and bonny,
He took the dishclout frae the bink,
And preen't it till her cockernony!

An' Simon had a branded cow,
He tint his cow and couldna find her,
He sought her a' the lee lang day,
But the cow cam hame wi' her tail ahind her.

@animal @kids
filename[ BRODICOW
MS
mudcat.org

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