The Farmer's Curst Wife
There was an old farmer, in Sussex did dwell,
There was an old farmer, in Sussex did dwell,
And he had a bad wife as many knew well.
Then Satan came at the old man on the plow;
"One of your family I must have now.
"It is not your eldest son that I crave,
But it is your old wife and she I will have."
"O welcome, good Satan, with all my heart!
I hope you and she will never part."
Now Satan has got the old wife on his back,
and he lugged her alone like a peddler's pack.
They trudge away till they came to his hall-gate;
Says he, "here, take in an old Sussex chap's mate."
O then she did kick the young imps about;
Says one to the other, "Let's try turn her out,"
She spied thirteen imps all dancing in chains,
She up with her pattens and beat our their brains.
She knocked the old Satan against the wall;
"Let's turn her out or she'll murder us all."
Now he's bundled her up on his back amain,
And to her old husband he took her again.
"I have been a tormentor all my life,
but I never was tormented so as with you wife"
There was an old farmer, in Sussex did dwell,
There was an old farmer, in Sussex did dwell,
And he had a bad wife as many knew well.
Then Satan came at the old man on the plow;
"One of your family I must have now.
"It is not your eldest son that I crave,
But it is your old wife and she I will have."
"O welcome, good Satan, with all my heart!
I hope you and she will never part."
Now Satan has got the old wife on his back,
and he lugged her alone like a peddler's pack.
They trudge away till they came to his hall-gate;
Says he, "here, take in an old Sussex chap's mate."
O then she did kick the young imps about;
Says one to the other, "Let's try turn her out,"
She spied thirteen imps all dancing in chains,
She up with her pattens and beat our their brains.
She knocked the old Satan against the wall;
"Let's turn her out or she'll murder us all."
Now he's bundled her up on his back amain,
And to her old husband he took her again.
"I have been a tormentor all my life,
but I never was tormented so as with you wife"
This is the version we are using in our World Literature class now but I know that there is a different version of this one found in the internet. The point of the story is all the same however, the farmer's wife is so bad that even Satan himself cannot tolerate her. How bad can you be that even the devil himself would give up on you?
Reading the ballad reminds me of somebody. (I won't name her of course). As I was reading the ballad I was imagining her as the wife. LOL.
Reading the ballad reminds me of somebody. (I won't name her of course). As I was reading the ballad I was imagining her as the wife. LOL.
1 blabblers:
.,.ay ganun talagah kasama ang asawa niya kahit si Satanas pa mismo eh di makadiskarte.,.What the?
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