Wind Blew the Bonnie Lass's Plaidie Awa', The

DESCRIPTION: Young woman goes to the butcher to buy beef, but he takes her in his arms, down they fall, and the wind blows her plaidie away. Three months later, her waist swells. The neighbors are upset; she blames the beef. (He marries her.)
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST DATE: 1893 (Greig/Duncan7)
LONG DESCRIPTION: Young woman goes to the butcher to buy beef, but he takes her in his arms, down they fall, and the wind blows her plaidie away, not to be found. (He promises to pay for it.) Three months later, her waist swells; she says his beef is tough to chew. The neighbors are upset; she blames the beef. (He marries her, saying, "We shall hae the middle cut, it's tenderest of a'.")
KEYWORDS: sex clothes commerce lover food marriage
FOUND IN: Britain(Scotland(Aber))
REFERENCES (4 citations):
Ford-VagabondSongsAndBalladsOfScotland, pp. 75-76, "The Plaidie Away" (1 text)
Greig/Duncan7 1413, "The Wind Blew the Bonnie Lassie's Plaidie Awa" (3 texts)
Ord-BothySongsAndBallads, pp. 96-97, "The Wind Blew the Bonnie Lass's Plaidie Awa'" (1 text)
Porter/Gower-Jeannie-Robertson-EmergentSingerTransformativeVoice #47, pp. 199-200, "The Bonnie Lassie's Pleydie's Awa'" (1 text, 1 tune)
Roud #2574
RECORDINGS:
Jimmy McBeath, Duncan Burke [instrumental], Jeannie Robertson [composite] "The Wind Blew the Bonny Lassie's Plaidie Awa'" (on FSB02, FSB2CD)
Jimmy McBeath, "The Wind Blew the Lassie's Plaidie Awa'" (on Voice10)
BROADSIDES:
Murray, Mu23-y4:029, "The Wind Blew the Plaidie Awa'," John Ross (Newcastle), 19C
NLScotland, RB.m.143(126), "The Bonnie Lassie's Plaidie," Poet's Box (Dundee), n.d.
CROSS-REFERENCES:
cf. "The White Cockade" (tune)
NOTES [19 words]: It appears that several versions of this have been bowdlerized. The extent of the damage is not entirely clear. - RBW
Last updated in version 5.3
File: RcWBTBLP

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