LXXXIII. Merry Hae I Been Teethin’ a Heckle

Tune—“Lord Breadalbone’s March.”

[Part of this song is old: Sir Harris Nicolas says it does not appear to be in the Museum: let him look again.]

I.

O merry hae I been teethin’ a heckle,
And merry hae I been shapin’ a spoon;
O merry hae I been cloutin a kettle,
And kissin’ my Katie when a’ was done.
O a’ the lang day I ca’ at my hammer,
An’ a’ the lang day I whistle and sing,
A’ the lang night I cuddle my kimmer,
An’ a’ the lang night as happy’s a king.

II.

Bitter in dool I lickit my winnins,
O’ marrying Bess to gie her a slave:
Blest be the hour she cool’d in her linens,
And blythe be the bird that sings on her grave.
Come to my arms, my Katie, my Katie,
An’ come to my arms and kiss me again!
Drunken or sober, here’s to thee, Katie!
And blest be the day I did it again.