Drunkard's Ragged Wean, The

DESCRIPTION: "A wee bit ragged laddie gaes wandering through the street, Wading mong the snow Wi' his wee bit hacket feet... he's the drunkard's ragged wee ane. The poor child is poor, ill-clothed, ill-fed, and unable to play with other children. The singer urges pity
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST DATE: 1927 (Cox)
KEYWORDS: drink children poverty hardtimes
FOUND IN: US(SW)
REFERENCES (1 citation):
Cox/Hercog/Halpert/Boswell-WVirginia-B, #32, pp. 207-208, "The Drunkard's Ragged Wee Ane" (1 text, 1 tune)
ST CoxIIB32 (Partial)
Roud #3112
BROADSIDES:
NLScotland, RB.m.143(212), "The Drunkard's Raggit Wean," Poet's Box (Dundee), c. 1890; same broadside as LC.Fol.70(97a); also RB.n.168(150), "The Drunkard's Raggit Wean," James Lindsay (Glasgow), 1847-1907
NOTES [70 words]: Although collected in California (apparently the only American collection), Cox's text is of Scottish origin (as the dialect shows). My guess, looking at it, was that it began life as a Scottish broadside, and the NLScotland texts seem to confirm this.
NLScotland also has a broadside sequel, NLScotland, LC.Fol.178.A.2(018), "The Reformed Drunkard, An Answer to the Raggit Wean," Robert McIntosh (Glasgow), 1849(?). - RBW
File: CoxIIB32

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