Lyrics:

Silly Sisters sing The Barring of the Door

It fell aboot a Martinmas time,
and a fine time it was then o,
That oor gudwwife got puddens to mak'
And she boiled them in a pan o.

It fell about the Martinmas time
And a gay time it was then o
That our good wife had puddings to make
And she boiled them in the pan o.


Chorus (after each verse):
An' the barrin' oor door, weel, weel, weel,
An' the barrin' oor door weel.


The wind it blew fae East to West,
An it blew upon the floor o,
Says oor gudeman tae oor gudewife,
“Get up bar the door o.”

The wind blew cold from East and North
And blew into the floor o,
Quoth our good man to our good wife,
“Get up and bar the door o.”


“Ma hand is in my hissy-skip,
Gudeman as ye may see o;
Though it shouldna be barred this seven year.
It'll no' be barred by me o.”

“My hand is in my hussyfskap,
Good man, as you may see o.
If it should be barred this hundred years
It'll not be barred by me o.”


They made a paction 'tween themselves
And fixed it firm and sure o,
That the yin wha spoke the foremost word,
Should rise and bar the door o.

They made the pact between the two
They made it firm and sure o:
Whoever should speak the very first word
Should rise and bar the door o.


Twa gentlemen had lost their road,
At twal' o'clock o' the nicht o,
And they couldna' find neither hoose nor ha',
Nor coal nor candle-licht o.

Then by and came two gentlemen
At twelve o'clock at night o,
And they could see that in the house
There was coal nor candle light o.


“Noo whether is this a rich man's hoose,
Or whether is it a poor o?”
But ne'er a word would yin o' them speak,
For barrin o' the door o.

“Oh, have we here a rich man's house
Or have we here a poor o?”
But never a word would the old couple speak
For the barring of the door o.


Well, first they ate the white pudden,
And syne they ate the black o,
And oor gudeman says tae himsel',
“The deil gang doon wi' that o.”

So first they ate the white puddings
And then they ate the black o;
And muckle thought the good wife herself
But ne'er a word she spoke o.


The young man tae the auld man said,
“Here, man, tak ye my knife o,
And gang and shave the gudeman's beard
And I'll kiss the gudewife o.”

Then one unto the other did say,
“Here man, take ye my knife o.
Do you take off the old man's beard
And I'll kiss the good wife o.”


“There is nae water in the hoose,
And what'll we do then o?”
“Whit ails ye at the pudden-bree,
That boils intae the pan o?”

“But there's no water in the house
And what shall we do then o?
What ails ye at the pudding broth
That boils in yonder pan o.”


Then oot it spak the auld gudeman,
And an angry man was he o:
“Would ye kiss my wife afore my e'en?
Scaud me wi' pudden bree o?”

Oh, up then started our good man
And an angry man was he o,
“Well ye kissed my wife before my eyes
And scald me with pudding broth o.”


Then up it raise the auld gudewife,
Gaed three skips on the floor o:
“Gudeman, ye spak the foremost word
Get up and bar the door o.”

Oh up then started our good wife,
Gave three skips on the floor o,
“Good man ye have spake the very first word:
Get up and bar the door o.”

Note: hussyfskap (Scottish) = household chores


Tony Rose sings John Blunt