Crookit Bawbee

DESCRIPTION: "Oh! whar awa' got ye that auld crookit (penny/plaidie)?" He offers one of gold and "a mantle o' satin" to go with him to Glen Shee. She will only accept "the laddie that gave me the penny." If he is that man "whar's your crookit bawbee?"
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST DATE: 1960 (Creighton-FolksongsFromSouthernNewBrunswick)
KEYWORDS: courting separation brokentoken
FOUND IN: Canada(Mar)
REFERENCES (1 citation):
Creighton-FolksongsFromSouthernNewBrunswick 25, "The Crooked Bawbee" (1 text, 1 tune)
ST CrSNB025 (Partial)
Roud #2281
NOTES [101 words]: Creighton-FolksongsFromSouthernNewBrunswick: "Said Mrs Leslie:'A bawbee is a halfpenny, and the term for it goes back to the days of Mary, Queen of Scots. They brought out a coin when she was a baby [Mary because Queen at eight days old - RBW] and the baby's head was on it; you know the Scottish drawl and the language, and by and by baby came to be bawbee.'" - BS
Jean Redpath claims that this song was popular in lowland Scotland, but I can find no field collections. Redpath also points out an item in the Scots Musical Museum (#99, "O whar did ye get that hauver-meal bannock") which may be related. - RBW
File: CrSNB025

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