The Battle of the Boyne (chapbook)/Get Up and Bar the Door

by Anonymous

GET UP AND BAR THE DOOR.

It fell upon a Martinmas time,
 And a gay time it was then,
When our goodwife got puddings to make,
 And she boil'd them in a pan.

The wind sae cauld blew south and north,
 And blew into the floor
Quoth our goodman to our goodwife,
 "Get up and bar the door"

"My hand is in my hussy’s skap,
 Goodman as you may see,
An it should na be barr'd this hundred year,
 It's no be barr'd for me"

They made a paction 'tween them twa,
 They made it firm and sure,
That the first word wha'er should speak,
 Should rise and bar the door.

Then by there come twa gentlemen,
 At twelve o'clock at night,
And they could neither see house nor hall,
 Nor coal nor candle light.

"Now whether is this a rich man's house?
 Or whether is it a poor?"
But ne'er a word wad ane o' them speak,
 For barring of the door

And first they ate the white puddings,
 And then they ate the black;
Tho' muckle thought the goodwife to hersel',
 Yet ne'er a word she spak

Then said the one unto the other,
 "Here, man take my knife,
Do ye tak aff the auld man's beard,
 And I'll kiss the goodwife"

"But there's nae water in the house,
 And what shall we do then?"
"What ails ye at the pudding bree,
 That boils into the pan ?"

O up then started our goodman,
 An angry man was he;
"Will ye kiss my wife before my face,
 And scad me wi' pudding bree?"

Then up and started our goodwife,
 Gied three skips on the floor;
"Goodman you've spoken the foremost word,
 Get up and bar the door"