Folk & Traditional Song Lyrics

Simon Brodie

Simon Brodie

     Symon Brodie had a cow:
       The cow was lost, and he cou'd na find her;
     When he had done what man cou'd do,
       The cow came hame, and the tail behind her.


         Honest, auld Symon Brodie,
         Stupid, auld, doited bodie;
         I'll awa' to the North Countrie,
         And see my ain dear Symon Brodie.

     Symon Brodie had a wife,
       And wow but she was braw and bonnie;
     She took the dish-clout aff the bink,
       And prin'd it to her cockernonie.
         Honest, auld Symon Brodie, &c.
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     Herd 1776 II.230.  Paul Past & Present (1881), 148 (no. 8)
[followed by Rymour Club Misc. III (1928), 184, Nicht at
Eenie (1932), 5, Montgomerie SNR (1946), 109 (no. 135)] is
slightly different: Simon Brodie he had a coo;// If he had
done what a man could do,/ The coo had come hame wi' her tail
behind her./ [Cho.] Puir auld Simon Brodie,/ Puir wee doited
body;/ I will awa to the North Countrie/ An' see my ain auld
Simon Brodie.// S.B.  he had/ wondrous bonny/ He's taen the
dish-cloot oot o' the bink [etc.]  The tune (Simon Brody) is
in the Bodleian MS. of David Young, 1740; McFarlan MS., c.
1743; and before in the Skene MS. as Kette Bairdie; see
"Katie Beardie".
Whistle-Binkie (1890 ed., I.287) has an anonymous poem
incorporating the above, beginning:

     Heard ye e'er o' our gudeman,
       The gaucy laird o' braid Dunwodie,
     The wale o' cocks at cap or can,
       Honest canty Simon Brodie!

Stanzas 3 and 4 run thus (lines 5-8, the varied chorus,
omitted):

     Simon Brodie had ane wife,
       I wat she was baith proud and bonny,
     He took the dishclout frae the bink,
       And preen't it till her cockernony!

     An' Simon had a branded cow,
       He tint his cow and couldna find her,
     He sought her a' the lee lang day,
       But the cow cam hame wi' her tail ahind her.

MS