Grand history on curious subjects, both entertaining and pleasant/The Auld Wives Crack

The Auld Wives Crack.

THE auld wives spinning at the rock,
The'bacco pipe they fast do smoke,
Then they will be so canty a’
And tell thei- crack so very braw,
When they do meet into a house,
They have such talk as comes in course,
And such a one has play’d the loon,
Another got a new braw gown,
And some they’ll say has spent their gear,
And some great lies then ye may hear;
Another man has kiss’d his wife,
She is wi’ bairn I’ll lay my life,
Another lass she is with child.
I’ve been of her so far beguil’d,
I thought she was a sober lass,
But she is chang’d from what ⟨she⟩ was,
Another got a braw new coat,
And in his purse is scarce a groat,
Another ta’en a piece of land,
Has neither gear nor stock on hand,
Another got a braw new watch,
His neighbour of him has ta’en a ⟨catch⟩
She is so much the over dear.
His folks advice he ne’er did spier;
And some they say does won the cash,
By cheating, lying, on they clash,
And many a thing they then will tell,
Truth or lies they know not well,
Some lad he is for such a lass,
I’m sure he is a stupid ass;
Some tells a story e’en right true,
And some does fill the cutty fu'
To get another smoke also,
Before that they do part and go.
The tedious hours do softly run,
While they smoke at their cutty gun,
Insensibly they spend away
An afternoon or half a day,
They better take a smoke at hame,
Than turn and teaze their neighbour’s name,
And spin a thread on rock or wheel,
Than clash and lie, and serve the de’il.