NANCY IN THE BARROW

TEUN-"Judy Macarty."

SAYS Jim te me-"One day aw saw
A seet that myed us glower:
A crood 0' folks wes geth'rin fast,
Aw thowt aw'd just cross ower
The street, te gaze amang the rest
At what had teuk thor fancy;
An' whe wes Iyin On the flags?
War neybor, Tipsy Nancy!

"She cuddent speak-she'd lost her tung,
Tho often she's got plenty;
She cuddent walk-she cuddent stand
A wheelbarrow stud empty.
What de ye think two on us did
Me an' a handy marrow?
We teuk her up, byeth neck an' crop,
An' put her in the barrow!

She stared aboot se helpless like,
For fear that she wes deein;
Wi' minds myed up te tyek her hyem,
We throo the streets went fieein,
Until we landed at the door,
Then lifted her like winkin,
An' left her safe eneuff te snore
An' get clear ov her drinkin.

They teli us when she wakened up,
Myest ivry byen wes akin;
She thowt the world wes upside doon,
She'd gettin such a shakin.
She blaired and cried like any bairn,
Upon her bed se narrow,
When tell'd sum frinds had browt her hyem
Se public i' the barrow. "

"Oh, wes aw born te be browt up,
Then turn a drunken wummin?'
She cried, wi' monny bitter tears;
'An' here's me gud-man cummin!
Aw'm sober now.-What will he think
(When aw'm for life his marrow),
If he hears tell, throo a' the streets,
They've wheel'd us iv a barrow? "

Such seets may be grand fun te sum,
But, oh, it is disgustin;
At last aw really de think shyem
Me heart, it's nearly brustin!
Ne mair aw'll touch the filthy stuff,
Me feelins se te harrow;
An' if it proves te me a cure,
Aw'll bliss that awful barrow!"

She teuk the pledge, an' kept it tee,
An' noo she's what aw fancy:
A canny neybor, clean an' kind;
Weel liked be a' is Nancy.
But shyem still myeks her hang her heed,
She's gawn te shift te Jarrow,
In hopes nebody there 'ill knaw
Her journey in the barrow.
The above can also be used as a Recitation.

-Source: Joe Wilson, (author) Songs and Drolleries, 1890