Jeannie Hutchison             [There was a Weaver in the North]                         SA1974.13.2

This is a distinctly different but brief and attractive version of the bothy song He widna wint his gruel, popularised by Aberdeenshire traveller-singer Jimmy McBeath (see Tocher no. 12 p. 149 and hear him on the  Tobar an Dualchais website http://www.tobarandualchais.co.uk/en/fullrecord/26553/3 .)
His version begins, “There was a weaver of the North and oh, but he was cruel, The very first night that he got wed he sat and he grat for gruel”. His tune is more modern sounding than Jeannie’s, however and the source of the song is a mystery yet to be solved. (Roud index no. 935).

     My gruel, my gruel,  my heavy gruel, my sad and dowie gruel,
     I’ll ging across the midden and milk the coo, if I should hae me gruel. 

There is nae water in the hoose so come to bed my jewel.
I’l tak me bucket and ging tae a well, for I mun hae me gruel.

     Me gruel, me gruel,  my heavy gruel, my sad and dowie gruel,
     I’ll tak me bucket and ging tae a well, for I mun hae me gruel.

There is nae milk intae the hoose so come to bed my jewel.
I’ll ging across the midden and milk the coo, for I mun hae me gruel.    [laughs]

     Me gruel, me gruel  my heavy gruel, my sad and dowie gruel,
     I’ll ging across the midden and milk the coo, for I mun hae me gruel.

On another occasion, Jeannie in company with Annie and Betty Poleson talked about other verses and Annie came forth with this one:

There is nae sa’t within the hoose, so come to bed my jewel,
A grain o’ soot from abeen the crook will serve me with me gruel.