And she, poor jade, withoutten din,
Is sent to Leith-wynd fit to spin, (*)
Wi' heavy heart, and claithing thin,
And hungry wame,
And ilka month a well-paid skin
To mak her tame.
As I cam in by Tanzie's wood,
And in by Tanzie's mill,
Four-and-twenty o' Geordie's men
Kiss'd me against my will.
Diddle dow diddle dow diddle dow dow dow
Diddle dee diddle da diddle dow-o
For ance I was a lady fair,
And lik'd the young men well,
But now I'm in the correction-house,
A woful take to tell!
Diddle dow diddle dow diddle dow dow dow
Diddle dee diddle da diddle dow-o
When we were in the tavern-house,
We liv'd in a good case,
We neither wanted meat nor drink,
Nor bonnie lads to kiss.
Diddle dow diddle dow diddle dow dow dow
Diddle dee diddle da diddle dow-o
But now I'm in the correction-house,
And sair, sair do I mourn;
But now I'm in the correction-house,
And whipped to my turn.
Diddle dow diddle dow diddle dow dow dow
Diddle dee diddle da diddle dow-o
A wee drap cabbage-kail in a cog,
A cog and a wee drap burn;
A wee drap cabbage-kail in a cog,
And a bodle bap aboon.
Diddle dow diddle dow diddle dow dow dow
Diddle dee diddle da diddle dow-o
But if I were at libertie,
As I hope to be soon,
I hope to be a married wife
Whan a'thir days are done.
Diddle dow diddle dow diddle dow dow dow
Diddle dee diddle da diddle dow-o
Is sent to Leith-wynd fit to spin, (*)
Wi' heavy heart, and claithing thin,
And hungry wame,
And ilka month a well-paid skin
To mak her tame.
As I cam in by Tanzie's wood,
And in by Tanzie's mill,
Four-and-twenty o' Geordie's men
Kiss'd me against my will.
Diddle dow diddle dow diddle dow dow dow
Diddle dee diddle da diddle dow-o
For ance I was a lady fair,
And lik'd the young men well,
But now I'm in the correction-house,
A woful take to tell!
Diddle dow diddle dow diddle dow dow dow
Diddle dee diddle da diddle dow-o
When we were in the tavern-house,
We liv'd in a good case,
We neither wanted meat nor drink,
Nor bonnie lads to kiss.
Diddle dow diddle dow diddle dow dow dow
Diddle dee diddle da diddle dow-o
But now I'm in the correction-house,
And sair, sair do I mourn;
But now I'm in the correction-house,
And whipped to my turn.
Diddle dow diddle dow diddle dow dow dow
Diddle dee diddle da diddle dow-o
A wee drap cabbage-kail in a cog,
A cog and a wee drap burn;
A wee drap cabbage-kail in a cog,
And a bodle bap aboon.
Diddle dow diddle dow diddle dow dow dow
Diddle dee diddle da diddle dow-o
But if I were at libertie,
As I hope to be soon,
I hope to be a married wife
Whan a'thir days are done.
Diddle dow diddle dow diddle dow dow dow
Diddle dee diddle da diddle dow-o
(*) Leith-wynd: luogo vicino ad Edimburgo dove sorgeva una casa di correzione per "donne nel peccato"...
Contributed by Alessandro - 2010/4/27 - 14:26
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Canzone scozzese il cui testo compare in The Ballad Book, a cura di George R. Kinloch, Edimburgo, 1827. Musica di Don Martin.
Il brano fa parte del repertorio del gruppo di Glasgow “The Clutha”.
Una ragazza viene violentata da un branco, probabilmente soldataglia (“Geordie's men”)… Non sono gli stupratori ad essere perseguiti, ma è la vittima a finire in “casa di correzione” perché la violenza subìta ne ha fatto immediatamente un essere immondo, una puttana che deve essere riabilitata espiando la sua “colpa”… Storie di questo genere erano spesso il presupposto per l’ingresso di giovani donne nei cosiddetti “Magdalene Asylums”, creati alla fine del 700 dalla chiesa cattolica in Gran Bretagna e in Irlanda e poi in Canada e USA.
Si veda al proposito l’introduzione alla canzone di Joni Mitchell, The Magdalene Laundries.