My understanding from the OED is that perling just means the lace edging - but its those last 2 verses I'd love some insight/clarification on:


I think it great pity, my babe shou'd tyne,
And I'll row it in my apron fine.


In the OED, 'tyne' is separate or be separated, or divided, and I've seen it used in 'the cruel mother' to mean she's gonna cut the baby in half - so is she half-threatening the baby?

Another technical question about the darn apron :) Other lyrics use the phrase "row'd it aneath my apron" and I'm wondering physically how this would work.

Would a woman put things in her apron, meaning on top, and lifting up the bottom corners to hold the contents in when she was carrying something somewhere, or was this some how literally meaning underneath her apron and rolled up. I guess I'm verifying what 'row' means, because the OED isn't clearing it up for me.