BETSY BRENNAN'S BLUE HEN
See also: Blue Hen

From the widow McKenny I bought for a penny,
To lay a few eggs when the berries are ripe;
But some dirty crawler from the hen house did haul her,
My beautiful little blue hen did swipe.

May his whiskers turn green when he eats a crubeen,
And may pork fat and beans nearly make him insane;
May two dogs and a crackie eat all his tobaccy.
The villain who stole my little blue hen.

Oh, this hen she had dozens of nephews and cousins,
The world 'round I would roam for her sake;
But some wicked savage, to grease his white cabbage,
Walked off with my hen and my beautiful drake.

May her stockings fall down when she goes out of town,
May the hair on her crown she can't bob it, and then;
May the girls from the Nor'ard stick pins in her forehead,
The villain who lifted my little blue hen.

I bought from Port Saunders that hen and two ganders,
But some dirty clown from my hen house did steal;
My beautiful chicken I would have for pickin',
On Christmas Day for to have a fine meal.

May the ravenous baste burst her blouse at the waist,
May she not get a taste of a dumplin' or cake;
May a man from Freshwater go back on her daughter,
That lifted my hen and my beautiful drake.

I would search the seas over from Boston to Dover,
To find out the rover and wouldn't stop then;
I would walk to Trepassey to collar the lassie,
Who pilfered my dear little beautiful hen.

May the measles and gout when he chance to go out,
On his double chin mouth, shove him down in the pen;
By the curse of Belleoram may he never stop roarin',
The villain who lifted my little blue hen.

May his pipe never smoke, may his tea pot be broke,
And to add to the joke, may his kettle not boil;
May he burst on cauld tay when he drinks any day,
And his ton of fox whiskers may soon go to soil.

May his clothes be in rags and his trousers bread bags,
May he stagger from jags if he goes 'round the lake;
And may he have bunions as big as small onions,
The scoundrel who lifted my beautiful drake.

####.... Johnny Burke (1851-1930) as published by Gerald S Doyle Ltd. in Old-Time Songs And Poetry Of Newfoundland (1927); 4th edition, p.76 (1966); 5th edition, p.58 (1978) ....####

From the Dictionary Of Newfoundland English:
Crubeen - Pickled pig's foot;
Crackie - Small, noisy mongrel dog.

Archived at GEST Songs Of Newfoundland And Labrador