The Book of Scottish Song/The Humble Beggar
The Humble Beggar.
[This is an old song, although it cannot be traced farther back than to Herd's collection. The tune goes by the same name as the song, and is given in the fifth volume of Johnson's Museum.]
In Scotland there lived a humble beggar,
He had neither house, nor hald, nor hame,
But he was weel liked by ilka bodie,
And they ga'e him sunkets to rax his wame.
A nivefu' of meal, a handfu' of groats,
A dadd of bannock, or herring brie,
Cauld parradge, or the lickings of plates,
Wad mak' him as blythe as a beggar could be.
This beggar he was a humble beggar,
The feint a bit of pride had he,
He wad a ta'en his a'ms in a bikker,
Frae gentleman, or poor bodie.
His wallets ahint and afore did hang,
In as good order as wallets could be:
And a lang kail-gooly hang down by his side,
And a meikle nowt-horn to rout on had he.
It happen'd ill, it happen'd warse,
It happen'd sae that he did die;
And wha do you think was at his late-wake,
But lads and lasses of a high degree.
Some were blythe and some were sad,
And some they play'd at Blind Harrie;
But suddenly up-started the auld carle,
I redd ye, good folks, tak' tent o' me.
Up gat Kate that sat i' the nook,
Vow kimmer, and how do ye?
Up he gat, and ca't her limmer,
And ruggit and tuggit her cockernonie.
They houkit his grave in Duket's kirk-yard,
E'en far frae the companie:
But when they were gaun to lay him i' the yird,
The feint a dead nor dead was he.
And when they brought him to Duket's kirk-yard,
He dunted on the kist, the boards did flee:
And when they were gaun to put him i' the yird,
In fell the kist, and out lap he.
He cried, I'm cauld, I'm unco cauld;
Fu' fast ran the fock, and fu' fast ran he:
But he was first hame at his ain ingle side,
And he helped to drink his ain dirgie.