“The Lonely Spinner” Remembered

by Thomas Mc Rae

Way back in the early 1950s on BBC’s Scottish Radio Service they’d have a special Halloween feature each year. That’s where the original “Neep Lantern” was read as was something like the following.

(In the Scots Language)
Please place the cursor on shaded words to see their English meaning.

The Lonely Spinner

 wummun in her chamber sat wi’ spinnin’ wheel afore her knee,

Oan ’er ain beraift wiz she. An’ ay she watched an’ ay she reel’t, an’ ay she wish’t fur companee.

Och, ay, she watched, an’ ay she reel’t, an’ ay she wish’t fur companee.

An’ in stomped a pair o’ braid, braid feet an’ set thairsels afore her ee.

An’ ay she watched, an’ ay she reel’t, an’ ay she wish’t fur companee.

An’ in roll’t a pair o’ lang, lang laigs an set thairsels oan thae braid, braid feet.

An’ ay she watched, an’ ay she reel’t, an’ ay she wish’t fur companee.

An’ in boonced a muckle braid bawdie an’ set itsel’ oan thae lang, lang laigs.

An’ ay she watched, an’ ay she reel’t, an’ ay she wish’t fur companee.

An’ in roll’t a muckle hairy heid an set itsel’ oan that braid bawdee.

An’ ay she watched, an’ ay she reel’t, an’ ay she wish’t fur companee.

An’ in roll’t twa muckle een an’ pit thairsels in the muckle heid.

An’ ay she watched, an’ ay she reel’t, an’ ay she wish’t fur companee.

An’ in thair creep’t a lang, lang tongue and wiggl’t itsel’ in the mooth o’ the heid.

The wumman at this moanstur stair’t, sez she, “Whoat cum Ye here tae do?”

The moanstur sed, “Ah’ve cum fur ...

...!”