{"id":3089,"date":"2015-01-02T20:47:44","date_gmt":"2015-01-03T00:47:44","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/thejovialcrew.com\/?page_id=3089"},"modified":"2018-03-01T22:14:53","modified_gmt":"2018-03-02T02:14:53","slug":"the-old-maid-in-the-garrett","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/thejovialcrew.com\/?page_id=3089","title":{"rendered":"The Old Maid in the Garrett"},"content":{"rendered":"

This song expressing an older woman\u2019s concern of an earlier age is something of a brain worm.\u00a0 I first heard it on The Clancy Brother\u2019s 1968 Columbia Records \u201cHome, Boys, Home\u201d when I was quite young.\u00a0 Since then I have learned that it dates to a 17th century broadside ballad (written by Martin Parker of London) from England named \u201cThe Wooing Maid\u201d.<\/p>\n

\"EBBA<\/a>

EBBA ID: 30304
British Library – Roxburghe 1.452-453<\/p><\/div>\n

In the usual folk\u00a0music process\u00a0it has spread, in simpler forms,\u00a0into Scots, Irish, and thus American folksong tradition, appearing under such titles as \u201cSister Susan\u201d, \u201cOld Maid\u2019s Complaint\u201d, \u201cThe Old Maid\u2019s Lament\u201d, \u201cThe Spinster\u2019s Lament\u201d, and \u201cThe Old Maid\u2019s Petition\u201d.\u00a0 Under this last title I have found it printed in American newspapers dating to about 1800 \u2013 one of these I have in hand from The Herald of Liberty, Washington, PA, of 14 April 1800. \u00a0A garrett is the common word during the 18th and early 19th century for an attic, particularly one with a room within which someone can take residence.<\/p>\n

Jos. Morneault<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"Home<\/a><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 G<\/strong><\/span>
\nNow I\u2019ve often heard it said from my father and my mother,
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0D\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 G<\/strong><\/span>
\nThat going to a wedding is the making of another;
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 G\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 C\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0 G<\/strong><\/span>
\nWell if this be so, then I’ll go without a bidding,
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 G\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 C\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 G<\/strong><\/span>
\nOh, kind providence, won’t you send me to a wedding?
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0 G\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 C\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 G\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 C\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0 G\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0 D\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0 D7\u00a0\u00a0 G<\/span><\/strong>
\nAnd it’s oh, dear me, how will it be, if I die an old maid in a gar-ret?<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

Well now there’s my sister Jean, she’s not handsome or good looking,
\nScarcely sixteen and a fellow she was courting;
\nNow, she’s twenty-four, with a son and a daughter,
\nHere am I at forty-five and I’ve never had an offer.
\nAnd it’s oh, dear me, how will it be, if I die an old maid in a garret?<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

I can cook and I can sew; I can keep a house right tidy,
\nAnd rise up in the morning to get the breakfast ready;
\nThere’s nothing in this wide world would make my heart so cheery,
\nAs a wee fat man\u00a0who would\u00a0call me his own dearie.
\nAnd it’s oh, dear me, how will it be, if I die an old maid in a garret?<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

So, come landsman, or come townsman, come tinker or come tailor,
\nCome fiddler, or come dancer, come ploughman or come sailor;
\nCome rich man, come poor man, come fool or come witty,
\nCome any man at all that will marry me for pity.
\nAnd it’s oh, dear me, how will it be, if I die an old maid in a garret?<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

– instrumental –<\/p>\n

Well now I’m away home for there’s nobody heedin’,
\nOh nobody\u2019s heedin’ to poor Annie’s pleadin’;
\nAnd I’m away home to me own biddy garret,
\nIf I can’t get a man then I’ll have to get a carrot.*
\nAnd it’s oh, dear me, how will it be, if I die an old maid in a garret?<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

*our adaptation in classic bawdy fashion – the word before us was “parrot”.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

This song expressing an older woman\u2019s concern of an earlier age is something of a brain worm.\u00a0 I first heard it on The Clancy Brother\u2019s 1968 Columbia Records \u201cHome, Boys, Home\u201d when I was quite young.\u00a0 Since then I have learned that it dates to a 17th century broadside ballad (written by Martin Parker of […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"parent":21,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","template":"","meta":{"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-3089","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/thejovialcrew.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/3089","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/thejovialcrew.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/thejovialcrew.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thejovialcrew.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thejovialcrew.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=3089"}],"version-history":[{"count":11,"href":"https:\/\/thejovialcrew.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/3089\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":4905,"href":"https:\/\/thejovialcrew.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/3089\/revisions\/4905"}],"up":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thejovialcrew.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/21"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/thejovialcrew.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=3089"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}