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Bellerby Sword Dance Play, 1879 & 1926 |
Greatham Sword Dance Play - 1924 |
1. |
gentlemen and ladies i have sprung from a noble knight |
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2. |
i have come here to spill my blood for old england s right |
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3. |
old england s right and a free goodwill |
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4. |
gentlemen and ladies i ll sing be mesel |
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5. |
oh there isn t a family that can compare to mine |
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6. |
my father he was hanged for stealing of three swine |
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7. |
o my father he was hanged and my mother was drowned in a well |
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8. |
isn t i a bonny chuck to be living by mesel |
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9. |
rumble rumble here my brave lads and give us leave to sport |
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10. |
for on this ground i mean to resort |
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11. |
resort and play show you many rhymes |
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12. |
gentlemen and ladies this is chris a mas time |
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13. |
cris a mas comes but once a year |
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14. |
when it comes it brings good cheer |
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15. |
roast beef bull beef apple pie |
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16. |
with very small shares for you and i bess |
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17. |
so mind brave lads what i do say
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so room room my brave gallants listen what i ve got to say
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18. |
my name is bold hector i ve come to clear the way
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my name is bold hector and i ll clear the way
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19. |
hector hector from dulberry bush
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hector hector the banberry bush me mother s sister s son in law
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20. |
the devil s own sister in law clothed in lamb s wool |
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21. |
our king stands waiting on this ground he swears and tears he will be in |
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22. |
to teach me of my skill |
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23. |
he is some silly fool i vow
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he s a poor silly fool like thee
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24. |
he will say more in the burning of an inch of candle
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he ll swear more over one inch of candle
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25. |
that he will perform in ten times ten pounds burning out
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than thou wouldst over a ten pound note burning away
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26. |
hold hector hold shall i wound thee on the leg |
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27. |
or wilt thou fall down on thy knees and beg |
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28. |
no neither for my hand nor my van |
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29. |
thousands have i slain |
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30. |
and here i ve travelled to set old england right again |
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31. |
i m the king of the conquerors and here i do advance |
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32. |
and i the ragged clown and i ve come to see thee dance |
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33. |
dance thou admits to see a king dance |
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34. |
dance i am a king that s highly known |
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35. |
i ll be very sorry to be offended by a saucy fellow ragged clown |
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36. |
hearty good fellow art thou a king |
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37. |
wasn t thou stealing swine last night
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wasn t that thou stealing swine the other day
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38. |
stealing swine
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stealing what
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39. |
tenting swine perhaps i mean
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feeding swine i meant to say
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40. |
my blood is raise i swear and vow |
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41. |
i ve been the death of many a man and i ll be the death of thou |
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42. |
young men draw your shavers |
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43. |
and quit this scoundrel from my sight |
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44. |
for if i stand to prate with him he ll prate with me all night |
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45. |
with your leave kind gentlemen |
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46. |
i ve come to see a sport |
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47. |
and likewise for to see if a lady i can court |
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48. |
but the lasses nowadays they are so plaguey shy |
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49. |
my clothing is so fine they will not come me nigh |
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50. |
our king is coming in dressed in his grand array
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our king he will come in dressed in his grandarie
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51. |
he ll call his young men in by one by two or three
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he ll call his young men in by one by two by three
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52. |
spectators silence keep and you will plainly see |
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53. |
i ll call these young men in
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he ll call his young men in by one by two by three
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54. |
dressed in their grand array
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our king he will come in dressed in his grandarie
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55. |
by one by two or three
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he ll call his young men in by one by two by three
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56. |
oh the first is mr spark who s lately come from france
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now the first is mr sparks he s lately come from france
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57. |
he s the first man in our list and the second in our dance
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he s the first man on our list and the second in our dance
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58. |
god bless your honour s fame and all your young men too
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god bless your honoured fame and all your young men too
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59. |
i ve come to act my part as well as i can do
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i ve come to act my part as well as i can do
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60. |
if thou wilt act thee part and wil not from me flee |
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61. |
i ll call these young men in by one by two or three
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he ll call his young men in by one by two by three
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62. |
oh the next is mr stout as you will understand
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the next is mr stout as i do understand
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63. |
as good a swordsman he is as ever took sword in hand
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as good a swordsman he as ever took sword in hand
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64. |
my valour has been tried through city town and field
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i often have been tried in city town and field
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65. |
i never met the man that yet could make ye yield
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i never could meet the man that ever could make me yield
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66. |
o the next is mr wild who has travelled many a mile |
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67. |
i m afraid the worst of all the lasses he ll beguile |
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68. |
although i ve travelled the world not for any wrong |
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69. |
it is for my false love because from me she s gone
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i m afraid he ll lose his love because he is too young
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70. |
o the next he is a prince he is a squire s son
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the next that i call on he is a squire s son
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71. |
i m afraid he s lost his love because from me she s gone
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i m afraid he ll lose his love because he is too young
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72. |
although i be too young i ve money for to roam
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although i be too young i have money for to roam
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73. |
i ll freely spend it all before i ll lose my love
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i ll freely spend it all before i ll lose my love
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74. |
then in comes last of all mount zion is his name |
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75. |
he s a worthy gentleman and by birth of noble fame
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the last he is a prince he is born of noble fame
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76. |
my father s a metal man and a tinker too by trade |
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77. |
he never stopped one hole but two for it he made |
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78. |
now i m the last of all my name is captain tom |
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79. |
if you ve got fifty girls i ll kiss them every one
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and the lasses you ve got here i ll kiss them every one
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80. |
cox bobs i d like forgot i am one of your crew
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gadzooks i clean forgot that i was one of your crew
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81. |
if you want to know my name my name is love so true
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if you want to know my name my name it is true blue
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82. |
so you ve see us all go round think of us what you will
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you ve seen us all go round so think of us what you will
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83. |
music strike up and play a tune just what you will
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music strike up and play we re the lads from greatham still
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84. |
our lady she comes in she looks both pale and wan |
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85. |
she s got a long beard on just like a collier s man |
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86. |
just now i m going to die as you can plainly see |
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87. |
these six fine glittering swords will soon put an end to me |
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88. |
farewell unto you all |
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89. |
and my old father here |
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90. |
farewell unto you all |
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91. |
and my old grannie dear |
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92. |
our lady she is dead and on the ground she s laid |
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93. |
we must all suffer for this young men i m sore afraid |
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94. |
i m sure it s none of i that did this awful crime |
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95. |
it s the man that follows me he drew his sword so fine |
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96. |
i m sure it s none of i that did this awful crime |
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97. |
it s the man that follows me i caught him in the act |
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98. |
since i m the last of all and i the blame must take |
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99. |
down on my bended knee for pardon i must pray |
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100. |
yet i not daunted be although i be the last
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and i ll not daunted be although i be the last
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101. |
our king had done this crime and laid the blame on me |
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102. |
cheer up my lively lads and be of courage bold |
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103. |
we ll carry her to the church and bury her in the mould |
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104. |
bury her bury her where do you mean to bury her |
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105. |
and all these people standing round |
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106. |
how do you mean to escape a halter |
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107. |
send for a doctor out of van |
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108. |
i ve heard tell of a doctor famed far and near |
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109. |
if he d been here he would have brought this queen to life again
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it s a long time for a man to be dead and brought alive again
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110. |
send for a doctor |
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111. |
doctor doctor twenty pounds for a doctor
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a doctor a doctor ten pounds for a doctor
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112. |
here am i
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here am I
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113. |
hearty good fellow art thou a doctor |
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114. |
yes i am a doctor |
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115. |
what is thy name doctor |
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116. |
my name is evan lovan rantantiser to a boarding master |
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117. |
taught by twelve universals |
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118. |
fried balsam upon balsam |
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119. |
made of dead man s fat rosin and goose grease |
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120. |
that s my name doctor |
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121. |
and a very curious name doctor |
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122. |
aye ah think so |
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123. |
how far hast thou travelled doctor
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how far cost thou travel doctor
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124. |
travelled i ve travelled through itty titty
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i live in itty titty
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125. |
where there is neither house land nor city
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where there s neither town nor city
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126. |
wooden churches leather bells and black puddings for bell ropes
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wooden churches with black puddings for bell ropes
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127. |
is that all doctor |
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128. |
no i ve travelled through england ireland scotland france and spain |
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129. |
and here i ve travelled to bring this old queen to life again
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it s a long time for a man to be dead and brought alive again
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130. |
well done doctor |
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131. |
what can you cure doctor |
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132. |
cure i can cure the itch the stitch the ague and the gout
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the gout the itch the sores the stitch
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133. |
if there be nineteen devils in i can bring one and twenty out |
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134. |
i can cure the whisky jade
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1. i ll make the paper smock to crack
2. big stout maids and whisky jades
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135. |
the smiling maid i can make the paper soak to crack sir |
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136. |
i can make the deaf to hear the dumb to speak
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i can make the deaf to hear the dumb to speak
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137. |
or the lame to walk or fly sir
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the lame to walk and fly
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138. |
is that all doctor |
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139. |
no i can cure the maiden with a red pale face |
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140. |
i can do the like to a hare |
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141. |
any maiden wishing to cure her sweetheart |
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142. |
i can tell her how she shall win |
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143. |
i can cure aye boys aye |
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144. |
i once cured my old grandmother who had been dead two year |
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145. |
after which she lived three and brought forth two children |
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146. |
well done doctor |
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147. |
what s thy fee doctor
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1. what is thy will with me
2. what is thy fee doctor
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148. |
my fee is twenty pounds |
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149. |
far too much doctor |
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150. |
well as it s thee i ll take nineteen pounds nineteen shillings and elevenpence three farthings
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my fee is nineteen pounds nineteen shillings eleven pence three farthings but nineteen pounds nineteen shillings one penny three farthings nineteen pounds nineteen shillings one penny and three farthings i ll take from thee
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151. |
fall to work doctor
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well set to work doctor
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152. |
i will see thee paid or unpaid in the morning
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and i ll see thee paid or unpaid in the morning
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153. |
paid the devil |
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154. |
one bird in the hand is worth two in the bush
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a bird in the hand is worth two in the bush
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155. |
i ve got my own old wife at home been dead a fortnight |
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156. |
a far better job than that |
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157. |
fall to work doctor
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well set to work doctor
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158. |
i ll see thee paid out of my own pocket
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nay nay stay doctor and i ll see thee paid out of my own pocket
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159. |
how did this old queen happen her misfortune |
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160. |
she tumbled upstairs and broke her neck
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here s a man fallen upstairs and broken his neck fallen upstairs and broken his neck
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161. |
well done stupid |
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162. |
i ve heard tell of falling down |
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163. |
well down i mean |
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164. |
her neck is broken |
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165. |
her things are out of joint |
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166. |
and she is filling with wind |
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167. |
causing her bowels to be in an uproar |
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168. |
she is in a very bad state indeed sir |
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169. |
but i ve got some pills in my pocket that will cure all ills time present time gone and time to come
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take these my pills to cure all ills the past the present and to come
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170. |
if that won t do i ll scour her over and up again
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i ll scour him over and over again
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171. |
till the spirit moves |
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172. |
and i ve got a little bottle in my pocket called oakum pokum pennyroyal |
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173. |
open thy niff naff |
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174. |
and i ll let it down thy chiff chaff |
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175. |
rise old girl and sing |
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176. |
good morning gentlemen a sleeping i have been
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good morrow gentlemen a sleeping i have been
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177. |
i ve had such a sleep as the like was never seen
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i have had such a sleep as the likes was never seen
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178. |
but now i am awake and alive unto this day
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but now i am awake and alive unto this day
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179. |
so we will have a dance and the doctor must seek his pay
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and now we ll have a dance and the doctor must seek his pay
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180. |
gentry and sentry all stand in a row i mean you no manner of ill |
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181. |
but i wish you sweethearts and our clown a new coat so ladies i bid you farewell so ladies i bid you farewell |
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