29 Mar 00 - 12:50 PM (#203321) Subject: Be Kind te me Dowter From: Conrad Bladey (Peasant- Inactive) Be Kind te me Dowter Tune: Die an Auld Maid One neet Jack Thomsin sat beside Chorus- She may be kind o' flighty, that's But oh, Johnny etc. Aw hope she'll be as happy as But oh Johnny etc... Ye'll treat wor Mary weel me lad, Then oh Johnny etc... We'll help ye ivery way we can But oh Johnny etc... |
28 Jul 15 - 11:44 AM (#3726710) Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Be Kind te me Dowter From: Uncle_DaveO I see I'm refreshing this, because I'm the first to post since the OP, fifteen years ago. This is a really appealing song to me, and I just noticed the note under the title for the tune source. I really like the tune I know (from some forgotten recorded origin), the source for which is shown above as Die an Auld Maid, which I hadn't heard of previously. Does anyone have the words to Die an Auld Maid? Dave Oesterreich |
28 Jul 15 - 12:27 PM (#3726719) Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Be Kind te me Dowter From: Snuffy This one? |
28 Jul 15 - 05:24 PM (#3726787) Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Be Kind te me Dowter From: Steve Gardham Die an Auld Maid dates back to the 17thc and there are lots of variants in current oral tradition with a variety of tunes. Having said that it was probably set to the one well-known on the folk scene in England in the 1960s, possibly earlier. |
28 Jul 15 - 09:51 PM (#3726840) Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Be Kind te me Dowter From: GUEST Snuffy's submission seems to be a version of what I was looking for. It fits the scansion of the song, Kind te me dowter, more or less, with some awkward departures, and the narrative seems to parallel Dowter. I haven't had time to work out the resemblance or non-resemblance of the tune to what I know; I'm not a good sight reader. For what it's worth, I don't quite like this set of lyrics, but it seems to be more or less what I asked for. Thanx, Snuffy. Does anyone know any other version of the lyrics of Die An Auld Maid or this Old Maid in the Garret song? Dave Oesterreich |
29 Jul 15 - 06:55 PM (#3727054) Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Be Kind te me Dowter From: Steve Gardham I have a vague recollection of various Geordies singing 'Be kind' and this and looking at the chorus leads me to believe it was the well-known Scots version of 'Auld Maid in the Garret.' The chorus went 'An it's oh dear me, whit can a dae, if I dee an auld maid in a garret'. I'd be surprised if it's not in the DT. It was published in Norman Buchan's Scottish Song Book p60 titled 'An Auld Maid in the Garret'. |
29 Jul 15 - 09:58 PM (#3727081) Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Be Kind te me Dowter From: Uncle_DaveO My Beautiful Wife, a fine pianist and (as I'm not) a sight-reader, played the tune given by Snuffy for me, and it's only remotely similar to the one I know for Be Kind te me Dowter. The DT has, I think, three versions of the old-maid-garret song and related songs. The Old Maid's Song is one title, and there are two called simply The Old Maid. I think I remember another, too. Dave Oesterreich |
30 Jul 15 - 03:01 AM (#3727112) Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Be Kind te me Dowter From: Steve Gardham The Scots tune is coming back to me now and it fits very well to the words above. |
31 Jul 15 - 07:54 AM (#3727359) Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Be Kind te me Dowter From: Newport Boy My favourite version of 'Auld Maid' is that by Isobel Sutherland, about 1960. I heard her sing it a couple of times in London in 1959, and I suspect her version was the source of some of the 60s versions by others. Isobel gave the impression of a straight-laced Edinburgh lass, and Robin Hall used to annoy her by substituting 'carrot' for 'parrot' in the last verse. It's close to the DT version Snuffy posted, but I feel it's a better expression of the singer's feelings. I'm not going to attempt the transcription, but I've put an MP3 here Phil |
31 Jul 15 - 10:31 AM (#3727380) Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Be Kind te me Dowter From: Steve Gardham I'm pretty certain it's Isobel's version I'm thinking of but it has been covered by so many since then. |