Lyr Add: John Anderson, My Jo (bawdy)

05 Feb 25 - 11:24 PM (#4216760)
Subject: Lyr Add: John Anderson, My Jo (bawdy)
From: and e

John Anderson My Jo

John Anderson my Jo, John,
When we were first acquaint,
Your stones gaed rattlin tae ma airse,
An yer cock gaed up ma cunt;
But noo ye're turnin auld John,
It wobbles too and fro,
And it twice gangs by for aince gangs in,
John Anderson my Jo.

Oh John Anderson ma Jo, John,
I mind the nicht right weel,
Ye laid me on ma back John,
Ma nakit thing tae feel;
Ye took it in your hands John,
The rovin Tally Ho!
And ye kissed ma lips and spread ma hips,
John Anderson ma Jo.

John Anderson my Jo, John,
Ye are a dirty Devil,
Ye've muckle need tae wash yer airse
An kame yer hairy pissle;
But the crabs are crawlin roun aboot,
In ma napt ye'll soon find now,
For ye're right up through ma shite back,
John Anderson ma Jo.

John Anderson ma Jo, John,
We've climbed the hills together,
And many's the canty rovin ride,
We've had at een anither;
But noo we're turnin auld John,
Come hand in hand we'll go,
For we'll fuck and fart till death dae part,
John Anderson my Jo.

Transcribed from the singing of Jimmy Macbeath on Kenneth Goldstein's
"Obscene Songs Tape" at the 3:50 mark.


Listen here: https://egrove.olemiss.edu/kgreels_unk/358/

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05 Feb 25 - 11:34 PM (#4216761)
Subject: RE: Lyr Add: John Anderson, My Jo (bawdy)
From: and e

The following version was recorded from the singing of Jimmy McBeath
at St Andrews, collected by Peter Shepheard in 1965...

John Anderson my Jo, John,
When we were first acquaint,
Your stones gaed rattlin tae ma airse,
An yer cock gaed up ma cunt;
But noo ye're turnin auld John,
It wobbles too and fro,
And it twice gangs by for aince gangs in,
John Anderson my Jo.

Oh John Anderson my Jo, John,
Ye are a dirty Devil,
Ye've muckle need tae wash yer airse
An kame yer hairy pissle;
But the crabs are crawlin roun aboot,
In ma napt ye'll soon find now, [uncertain words
For ye're right up through ma shite bum,
John Anderson ma Jo.

Oh John Anderson ma Jo, John,
For breakfast we'll hae eggs,
An ye'll gie me the lang thing,
't hings atween your legs;
Ye'll lay me on ma back, John,
Cock up ma dending hole, [uncertain word
An ye'll pink yer pole intae ma hole,
John Anderson ma Jo.

Oh John Anderson ma Jo, John,
I mind the nicht right weel,
Ye laid me on ma back John,
Ma nakit thing tae feel;
Ye took it in your hands John,
The rovin Tally Ho!
And ye kissed ma lips and spread ma hips,
John Anderson ma Jo.

John Anderson ma Jo, John,
We've climbed the hills together,
And many's the canty rovin ride,
We've had at een anither;
But noo we're turnin auld John,
Come hand in hand we'll go,
For we'll fuck and fart till death dae part,
John Anderson ma Jo.

Additional verse in bold. The verses are in a different order.

Retrieved from https://www.springthyme.co.uk/songtexts/JohnAndersonMyJo.html

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06 Feb 25 - 05:39 AM (#4216772)
Subject: RE: Lyr Add: John Anderson, My Jo (bawdy)
From: Steve Gardham

In my Scots dictionary there is 'denty' for dending perhaps, which has 'large, plump,' comely, and may be related to 'dainty' as in the 'dainty doon-by'.

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06 Feb 25 - 02:52 PM (#4216807)
Subject: RE: Lyr Add: John Anderson, My Jo (bawdy)
From: weerover

Robert Burns also wrote a bawdier version of John Anderson, fairly explicit though rather more elegant than the above. It can be found in his "Merry Muses" collection.

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07 Feb 25 - 07:17 AM (#4216835)
Subject: RE: Lyr Add: John Anderson, My Jo (bawdy)
From: and e

JOHN ANDERSON, MY JO.

JOHN Anderson, my jo, John
I wonder what ye mean,
To lie sae lang i' the mornin'
And sit sae late at een?
Ye'll bleer a' your een, John,
And why do ye so?
Come sooner to your bed at een,
John Anderson, my jo.

John Anderson, my jo, John,
When first that ye began,
Ye had as good a tail-tree
As ony ither man;
But now its waxen wan, John,
And wrinkles to and fro;
I've twa gae-ups for ae gae-down,
John Anderson, my jo.

I'm backit like a salmon,
I'm breastit like a swan;
My wame it is a down-cod,
My middle ye may span:
Frae my tap-knot to my tae, John,
I'm like the new-fa'n snow;
And it's a' for your convenience

John Anderson, my jo.
O it is a fine thing,
To keep out o'er the dyke;
But its a meikle finer thing,
To see your hurdies fyke;
To see your hurdies fyke, John,
And hit the rising blow;
It's then I like your chanter-pipe,
John Anderson, my jo.

When ye come on before, John,
See that ye do your best;
When ye begin to haud me,
See that ye grip me fast;
See that ye grip me fast, John,
Until that I cry, "Oh!"
Your back shall crack or I do that,
John Anderson, my jo.

John Anderson, my jo, John,
Ye're welcome when ye please;
It's either in the warm bed,
Or else aboon the claes:
Or ye shall hae the horns, John,
Upon your head to grow;
An' that's the cuckold's mallison,
John Anderson, my jo.

1799. The Merry Muses of Caledonia. pp.53-56.

See here: https://archive.org/details/1799themerrymusesofcaledonia/page/n53/mode/2up?q=anderson

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10 Feb 25 - 10:12 AM (#4216980)
Subject: RE: Lyr Add: John Anderson, My Jo (bawdy)
From: GUEST,ABCD

Not "wrinkles to and fro" but "waigles" ("waggles" in English English")

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11 Feb 25 - 05:07 AM (#4217036)
Subject: RE: Lyr Add: John Anderson, My Jo (bawdy)
From: weerover

I have three different editions of Burns's more mainstream collected works and (slight) differences can be found in some of the pieces, reflecting the fact that they were originally handwritten by Burns at different times.

My copy of "The Merry Muses" has "wrinkles", which IMHO makes a little more sense, without going into anatomical detail. I have a recording of the fine singer Gordeanna McCulloch, who used "wrinkles", but there are a few minor variations in her version from both the above and my printed text.

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11 Feb 25 - 10:30 AM (#4217045)
Subject: RE: Lyr Add: John Anderson, My Jo (bawdy)
From: Lighter

The Dictionary of the Older Scottish Tongue has a single example, from 1513, of "wrinkle" meaning to "bend."

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