Wicked Wife o' Fife, The

DESCRIPTION: The singer's wife refused to feed him, even after he bought her a new gown. He beat her with a hazel stick. She ran home to her mother who convinced the singer to take her back. He would beat her again if she were not good. He has no more trouble.
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST DATE: 1905 (Greig/Duncan7)
KEYWORDS: abuse husband mother wife
FOUND IN: Britain(Scotland(Aber))
REFERENCES (2 citations):
Greig-FolkSongInBuchan-FolkSongOfTheNorthEast #13, p. 2, "The Hazel Rung" (1 text)
Greig/Duncan7 1283, "The Wicked Wife o' Fife" (8 texts, 5 tunes)

Roud #6284
CROSS-REFERENCES:
cf. "The Wife Wrapt in Wether's Skin" [Child 277] (theme) and references there
NOTES [25 words]: This looks to me like a modified version of "The Wee Cooper of Fife." But Ben splits them, presumably because of the family negotiations involved. - RBW
Last updated in version 2.6
File: GrD71283

Go to the Ballad Search form
Go to the Ballad Index Song List

Go to the Ballad Index Instructions
Go to the Ballad Index Bibliography or Discography

The Ballad Index Copyright 2024 by Robert B. Waltz and David G. Engle.