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User Name Thread Name Subject Posted
AndyG Lyr Add: Warrington Fair, with translation (14) RE: Warrington Fair: FAO BruceO 02 Mar 00


Bruce,
I'd assumed from your comments you'd got most of the sense, but I couldn't see a way of discerning which bits you'd got and which bits you wanted help with, so the easy way is to do the whole lyric. Also I wanted other UK Northerners to give input on their understanding of stuff I might get wrong or fail to interpret. As I said I don't speak Lancs. dialect I've just heard a lot of it.

here's a take on the lines 31 - 50.
Bruce O's commentary in bold
My interpretations in italics my guesses are underlined

Notes:
words like Book, cook, look are pronounced as Luke.

031: Bawth' inwost oth' reidinesse azzee hea, (azzee? also in l. 43)
032: I mun meet im o wonsday at Rondle a Shea (Wednesday.. Randle a'Shea's)
But the rest of the readiness has he here readiness <> ready money <> cash still due
I must meet him on Wednesday at Rondle a Shea
Is this a french name eg "??? de la Sheer" ? There's certainly a Delamere in Cheshire I certainly think it's a place name not a person.

033: Ten Grece hoo wor angry, baw yet hoo lough. (but yet she laughed)
034: Now marry caw hoo, tatts e'en reidinesse inough.
Then Grace she was angry but yet she laughed
Now marry, said she, thats even readiness enough

but then this line doesn't make a lot of sense

035: Bot as it feel out oth' tother dea,
036: He mett wuth is nebor Rondle a Shea.
But as it fell out ??? the other day
He met with his neighbor ** Rondle a Shea

** as I think R-a-S is a place, perhaps "in/at" fits here

037: Nyeam Rondle, caw he, I he soud my good Mere,
038: For noonteen grotes at Warritt'n Fere (nineteen groats)*
??? ???, said he, I he sold my good mare
For nineteen groats at Warrington Fair

039: Gilbert, caw he, who soudnyer too? (soydnyer?)
040: Now in yoan beleeme, t know naw too who
Gilbert, said he, who sold her too ?
Who did you sell her (the mare) to?
Now in your own belief, to know not to who
On your own addmission you don't know who he was

041: Knoni naw who yo ken souder too senny (?)
042: Ten fure yo ken th' munny. Naw yet, n'er a penny
Knowing not who you have sold her too suddenly
Then 'fore you see the money. Not yet, never a penny

ken = know/knowledge, 041 I think is effectively saying
"Being unacquainted with the buyer you sold the mare om impulse."
039 -42 are addressed to Gilbert by his neighbour

043: Ba'wth munny's as fure, azzee yore honds, ar mine, (azzee?)
044: For innee rook me, I'll nere heed t felly agein. (an he rob me)
but the money's as sure, as in your hands , or mine
I gambling that "fure" is an archaic "s" in this case.
For if he rooks me, I'll not listen to the fellow again rook=cheat

045: He lookt like a grethly onnist mon's Son, (greatly honest man's son)
046: An he spent tuppone on ma when oo hadd'n dun. (two-penny... he had done)
He looked like a gradely honest man's son
And he spent tuppence on me when I hadn't done

ie he spent tuppence on me when I'd spent nothing on him
gradely = NW expression meaning fine, splendid.

047: He gan ma a lunch on a donty snig-py,
048: An shook me bith hand whoint lovingly. (both hands -?)
He gave me a lunch and (on) a dainty snig-py (pie?)
And shook me by the hand ??? lovingly

049: Baw Grece, hoo to Warritn aw wonsday betime, (she to Warrington)
050: An left Gilburt a whom out oth Curn fort tent swine. (at home, tend swine)
But Grace, she to Warrington all Wednesday betime
And left Gilbert at home out of ??? for to tend swine

049 = Grace spent all wednesday in Warrington


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