Mither, I Maun Hae a Man

DESCRIPTION: "Noo mither, I maun tell ye, I'm gaun to be a wife; For I'm sure it's nae pleasure To live a single life." The girl complains of the burdens her mother puts on her, and offers Biblical arguments for marriage, and concludes, "I mean to tak' a man."
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST DATE: 1906 (Greig/Duncan7)
KEYWORDS: oldmaid mother children marriage
FOUND IN: Britain(Scotland(Aber))
REFERENCES (3 citations):
Greig-FolkSongInBuchan-FolkSongOfTheNorthEast #105, pp. 2-3, "Mither, I Maun Hae a Man"; #101, p. 2, "Mither, I Maun Hae a Man"; #103, p. 2, "Mither, I Maun Hae a Man" (1 texts plus 3 fragments)
Greig/Duncan7 1333, Greig/Duncan8 Addenda, "Mither, I Maun Hae a Man" (7 texts, 3 tunes)
Ord-BothySongsAndBallads, pp. 148-149, "Mither, I Maun Hae a Man" (1 text)
Roud #5554
NOTES [113 words]: The girl here does not really quote the Bible, except for paraphrasing "be fruitful and multiply" (Genesis 9:1, etc.), but her argument is taken largely from 1 Corinthians 7, particularly 7:28, which states that it is no sin for a girl to marry.
The part about the girl being obedient has multiple sources in scripture, including the first part of 1 Corinthians 11 (the key verse here, 11:10, is actually close to making nonsense in Greek, but of course this is clarified -- usually to the detriment of the women -- in most translations). - RBW
Greig #107, p. 2, 1909: "Mr Ord adds:-'The version of "Mither I mean to tak' a man" is just what I heard upwards of 30 years ago.'" - BS
Last updated in version 2.6
File: Ord148

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