by Robert Burns (1759 - 1796)
Hooly and fairly
Language: Scottish (Scots)
Available translation(s): FRE
Oh! what had I ado for to marry! My wife she drinks naething but sack and canary, I to her friends complain'd right early, O! gin my wife wou'd drink hooly and fairly. Hooly and fairly; hooly and fairly, O! gin my wife wou'd drink hooly and fairly. [...] And when she comes hame, she lays on the lads, The lasses she ca's baith limmers and jades, And ca's mysel' ay an auld cuckold carlie; O gin my wife, &c.
Glossary
Researcher for this page: Ferdinando Albeggiani
Gin = if only
Hooly = slowly
Limmers = strumpets
Jades = familiar term among country folks for giddy young girls
Auld cuckold carlie = little old man
Authorship:
- by Robert Burns (1759 - 1796) [author's text not yet checked against a primary source]
Musical settings (art songs, Lieder, mélodies, (etc.), choral pieces, and other vocal works set to this text), listed by composer (not necessarily exhaustive):
- by (Franz) Joseph Haydn (1732 - 1809), "Hooly and fairly", JHW. XXXII/3 no. 241, Hob. XXXIa no. 237. [text verified 1 time]
Available translations, adaptations, and transliterations (if applicable):
- FRE French (Français) (Pierre Mathé) , title 1: "Oh pourquoi ai-je pris la peine de me marier !", copyright © 2014, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
Researcher for this page: Ferdinando Albeggiani
This text was added to the website: 2009-08-27
Line count: 11
Word count: 80