Tinker's Wedding
In June when broom in bloom was seen
And bracken was full fresh and green
And warm the sun with silver sheen
The hills and glens did gladden oh!
One day upon the border bent
The Tinkers pitched their Gypsy tent
And old and young, with one consent
Resolved to have a wedding oh!
The bridegroom was wild Norman Scott
Who thrice had broke the nuptial knot
And once was sentenced to be shot
For breach of martial order oh
His gleesome joe was Madge McKell
A spaewife match for Nick himself
With glamour and cantrip, charm and spell
She frightened both the border oh!
Diddum a do a dum a day
Diddum a do a daddan oh!
Diddum a do a dum a day
Hurrah for the Tinker's Wedding oh!
No priest was there with solemn face
No clerk to claim of Crown's the brace
The piper and fiddler played the grace
And set their gabs a steering oh!
'Mong beef and mutton, pork and veal
'Mong painshes plucks and fresh cowheel
Fat haggis and a caller jeel
They carried away careering oh!
Diddum a do a dum a day
Diddum a do a daddan oh!
Diddum a do a dum a day
Hurrah for the Tinker's Wedding oh!
Fresh salmon newly netted from Tweed
Salt lingam cod of Shetland breed
They worrit till stomachs were like to screed
'Mong flagons and flasks of gravy oh!
There was raisin kale and sweet milksaps
Ewe milk cheese in whangs and flaps
And they rubbed their guts 'mongst scraps and gaps
Right many a cadger cavey oh!
Diddum a do a dum a day
Diddum a do a daddan oh!
Diddum a do a dum a day
Hurrah for the Tinker's Wedding oh!
The drink flew round with wild galore
And soon upraised a hideous roar
Blythe Comus ne'er saw a queerer corps
Seated round his table oh!
They danced they drank, they swore they sang
They quarreled and 'greed the whole day long
And they wrangled and tangled among the throng
'Twould match the tongues of Babel oh!
Diddum a do a dum a day
Diddum a do a daddan oh!
Diddum a do a dum a day
Hurrah for the Tinker's Wedding oh!
The drink went down before the drouth
Which vexed both many a maw and mouth
It damped the fire of age and youth
And every breast it saddened oh!
So three stout lads flew o'er the hill
At risk of life their drouth to quell
And robbing a neighbor and smuggler's still
To carry on the wedding oh!
Diddum a do a dum a day
Diddum a do a daddan oh!
Diddum a do a dum a day
Hurrah for the Tinker's Wedding oh!
With thunderous shouts they hailed 'em back
To broach the barrels they were not slack
And the fiddler's plane tree leg they broke
For playing "Farewell the Whiskey" oh!
Delirium seized the uproarious throng
The bagpipes in the fire they flung
And soldiering airs the riggings rung
The drink a touch of whiskey oh!
Diddum a do a dum a day
Diddum a do a daddan oh!
Diddum a do a dum a day
Hurrah for the Tinker's Wedding oh!
Now the sun fell low on Salway banks
As on they plied their roughsome pranks
And the stalwart shadows over their shanks
Wide o'er the moor were spreading oh!
Till heads and thraws among the whins
They fell with broken brows and shins
And sore craist bones filled many skins
At close of the Tinker's wedding oh!
Diddum a do a dum a day
Diddum a do a daddan oh!
Diddum a do a dum a day
Hurrah for the Tinker's Wedding oh!
Diddum a do a dum a day
Diddum a do a daddan oh!
Diddum a do a dum a day
Hurrah for the Tinker's Wedding oh!