Songs of the Ridings by F. W. Moorman: Lord George

Songs of the Ridings

Lord George

These verses were written soon after the
Old Age Pensions Bill came into operation.

I'd walk frae here to Skipton,
Ten mile o' clarty lanes,
If I might see him face to face
An' thank him for his pains.
He's ta'en me out o' t' Bastile,
He's gi'en me life that's free:
Five shill'n a week for fuglin' Death
Is what Lord George gives me.

He gives me leet an' firin',
An' flour to bak i' t' yoon.
I've tea to mesh for ivery meal
An' sup all t' afternoon.
I've nowt to do but thank him,
An' mak' a cross wi' t' pen;
Five shillin' a week for nobbut that!
Gow! he's the jewel o' men.

I niver mell on pol'tics,
But I do love a lord;
He spends his savin's like a king,
Wheer other fowks 'll hoard.
I know a vast o' widdies
That's seen their seventieth year;
Lord George, he addles brass for all,
Though lots on 't goes for beer.

If my owd man were livin',
He'd say as I spak true;
He couldn't thole them yallow Rads,
But awlus voted blue.
An' parson's wife, shoo telled me
That we'll sooin go to t' poll;
I hope shoo's reight; I'll vote for George,
Wi' all my heart an' soul.

I don't know wheer he springs frae,
Happen it's down Leeds way;
But ivery neet an' mornin'
For his lang life I pray.
He's ta'en me out o' t' Bastile,
He's gi'en me life that's free:
Five shill'n a week for fuglin' Death
Is what Lord George gives me.

Notes (arranged alphabetically)

Addles brass : earns money
Bastile : workhouse (M), (allusion to the French Bastille )
Clarty : muddy (M)
Five shillin' (shill'n) : five shillings (20 shillings = one pound)
Fuglin' : cheating (M)
Leet an' firin' : lighting and heating costs (coal fire)
Mell on : meddle with
Mesh : mash, brew
Thole : endure, suffer
Vast : a vast number, a lot
Widdies : widows
Yallow Rads : yellow Radicals: Liberals
Yoon : oven (M)

Explanations marked (M) are from Professor Moorman's original footnotes. Wherever possible, meanings have been checked in Dr Arnold Kellet's The Yorkshire Dictionary of Dialect, Tradition and Folklore (obtainable from the YDS), The Chambers Dictionary, and The Oxford English Dictionary. We have attempted at all times to be guided by context and to convey all probable intended meanings. We have not explained those words which differ only slightly in pronunciation and spelling from modern standard English.

Songs of the Ridings

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