De'il Stick the Minister

DESCRIPTION: "Our wife she keeps baith beef and yell And tea to treat the Minister... While I the water-stand maun try, May the De'il stick the Minister." The minister can explain the Covenant and curse Papists, but he's otherwise grasping and useless
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST DATE: 1900 (Stokoe/Reay-SongsAndBalladsOfNorthernEngland)
KEYWORDS: clergy curse humorous
FOUND IN: Britain(England(North))
REFERENCES (1 citation):
Stokoe/Reay-SongsAndBalladsOfNorthernEngland, pp. 116-117, "De'il Stick the Minister" (1 text, 1 tune)
ST StoR116 (Partial)
Roud #3153
NOTES [75 words]: Although reported seemingly only in Northumberland, the references to the Covenant seem to imply Scottish origin. As, for that matter, does the clear anti-clericalism. (Though we might note that the Covenanting army long was engaged around Newcastle and other parts of Northumberland.) I'm amazed it doesn't quote the passages in Matthew and James which condemn the clergy. Apparently The Minister didn't preach those passages to the congregation. - RBW
File: StoR116

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