|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Lowe | Mr Fox |
There once was a woman and she baked five pies and she said to her daughter:
Go and put those pies in the larder and don’t you touch them or I shall give you what for.
Well, what do you think this girl did, why she set to and she gobbled them all up, every one of them, that’s what she did.
Come suppertime her mother says:
Go and get me one of those pies, I just fancy one of them.
How can I mother when they’re gone.
Gone, how can they be gone?
Cause I’ve eaten them, every one of them.
Well, her mother was so angry she had to go and sit on the front step to cool off. And while she was sitting there she started to sing:
My daughter’s gobbled up five pies today.
My daughter’s gobbled up five pies today.
My daughter’s gobbled up five pies today.
Now as luck would have it who should come riding by but the king. Well, he heard her singing but he couldn’t rightly make out what she was a singing about so he stopped his horse:
What was that you were a singing about my good woman?
Well, she was ashamed to tell the king what her daughter had really done, so instead of singing about the pies she started singing:
My daughter’s knitted five pairs of socks today.
My daughter’s knitted five pairs of socks today.
My daughter’s knitted five pairs of socks today.
God bless me, I’ve never heard of anyone who could do that, listen here woman I’m looking for a wife and I likes a pair of hand knitted socks, so I’ll marry your daughter. And for eleven months of the year she’ll have all she likes to eat and all the pretty frocks she likes to wear and all the company she likes to keep. But in the last month she’ll have to knit me five pairs of socks every day and if she don’t then off will come her head, right!
Right!
For her mother thought how wonderful it would be for her daughter to be wed to a king, so they were married. And for eleven months this girl had all she liked to eat, all the pretty frocks she liked to wear and all the company she liked to keep. And the king never said a word about all these socks she’d got to knit, so of course she thought he’d forgotten all about them.
But come the last day of the eleventh month the king takes her up to this room she’d never seen before.
Now then my dear tomorrow you’ll be locked in here with something to eat and drink, a pair of knitting needles and a nice pile of wool and if you haven’t knitted five pair of socks by tonight then off will come you head.
And away he goes about his business.
Well, she was so frightened, she’d been so lazy all of her life you see, she’d never even learned to knit, and what was she to do tomorrow with no one to help her. So she sat down by the fire and oh how she did cry. All of a sudden there comes a knocking low down on the window, so she gets up and she opens it. And there was this little black thing with a long tail. And that looked at her proper curious.
What are you crying about my dear?
What’s that to you?
Never you mind, you just tell me what you’re a crying about.
And that twirled that tail around.
So in the end she told that all about the pies and the socks and everything.
Now then this is what I shall do. Every morning I shall come and take away the wool and every evening I’ll bring back five pairs of socks all knitted up, how’s that?
What’s your pay?
Well that looked out of the corner of that’s eyes proper curious.
Every night I’ll give you three guesses to guess my name and if you haven’t guessed it by the end of the month then you’ll be mine.
Well she reckoned that she should be able to guess that’s name by the end of the month.
All right, I agree.
Well the following day the king takes her up to this room.
Now then my dear there’s your wool, there’s your knitting needles and there’s something to eat and drink and if you haven’t knitted five pair of socks by tonight off will come your head.
And he leaves the room and locks it.
Well, he’d hardly left the room when there comes a knocking at the window, so she ups and opens it. And sure enough there’s this little black thing on the window ledge.
Where’s the wool?
Here it is be and the knitting needles.
I got me own needles.
And away that flew.
Well, come the evening that returns with five pairs of socks over that’s arm, all knitted up beautiful.
Here they be.
And he hands them to her.
Now then what’s my name?
Is it Bill?
No, it isn’t Bill.
Is it Ned?
No it isn’t Ned.
And that twirled that’s tail around
Well is it Mark?
No it isn’t Mark.
And that twirled that tail around faster and faster.
And away that flew.
Well every day there was this pile of wool waiting for her. And every day this little black thing came in the morning and the evening. And every day she sat there by the fireside trying to think of names to put to that, but somehow she never seemed to hit on the right one. Well time passes and it comes to the last day but one. This little black thing comes in the evening with the five pairs of socks.
Have you got my name yet my dear?
Is it Nicodemus?
No it isn’t Nicodemus.
Is it Samuel?
No it isn’t Samuel.
Well is it Methusalem?
No it isn’t Methusalem.
And that twirled that’s tail around.
There’s only tomorrow night woman and then you’ll be mine.
And away that flew.
Well she felt proper rotten, she really did.
And then she heard the king coming down the corridor. He unlocks the door and in he comes and he sees the five pairs of socks.
God bless me, it looks like I shan’t have to have your head off after all. I shall have my supper in here tonight along with you.
Well they’d just sat down and the king was just going to take his first spoonful of soup when he started to laugh.
What are you laughing about husband?
We my dear I was just riding through the woods today and I came to a place I’d never seen before where there was this old chalk pit, and I heard this clicking noise. Well I get off my horse and I tiptoed up to the edge of this pit and I looked down. And what do you think I saw but this funny little black thing. And that had got a little pair of knitting needles and a great big pile of wool and that was a knitting wonderful fast and that was a twirling that’s tail around. And what do you think that was a singing about?
Do say husband.
Why that was a singing:
Nimy Nimy Not my name’s Tom Tit Tot.
Nimy Nimy Not my name’s Tom Tit Tot.
Nimy Nimy Not my name’s Tom Tit Tot.
I could have died a laughing, I really could.
And when she heard him she was so excited she could have jumped out of her skin.
Well the following morning when this little black thing came to collect the wool that looked at her proper nasty. And when that came back in the evening with the five pairs of socks that came right in on the window ledge and that was a grinning from ear to ear and oh how that twirled that’s tail around.
Have you got my name yet?
Is it Solomon?
No it isn’t Solomon.
And that came right into the room and that’s eyes were a burning like coals of fire and that was a twirling that’s tail around so fast you could hardly see it.
Well is it Zeberdee?
No it isn’t Zeberdee.
And that stretched out that’s little black hands as if to take hold of her.
Take your time woman, if you don’t get it right this time then you’ll be mine.
Well she takes a couple of steps backwards and she takes a deep breath and then she points her finger.
Nimy Nimy Not your name’s Tom Tit Tot.
Nimy Nimy Not your name’s Tom Tit Tot.
Nimy Nimy Not your name’s Tom Tit Tot.
And she started to laugh.
Well when that heard her that gave the most awful shriek and that’s tail suddenly stopped a twirling and that hopped up onto the window ledge and that flew out of the window into the night and she never saw that no more. And a good job to.