{"id":6600,"date":"2020-11-05T14:59:31","date_gmt":"2020-11-05T14:59:31","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/folksongandmusichall.com\/?page_id=6600"},"modified":"2020-12-31T23:01:36","modified_gmt":"2020-12-31T23:01:36","slug":"auld-pair-of-tawse-the","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/folksongandmusichall.com\/index.php\/auld-pair-of-tawse-the\/","title":{"rendered":"Auld pair of Tawse, The"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
AKA<\/strong><\/td><\/td><\/tr>
First Published<\/td>1876?<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

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Writer\/composer<\/td>Harry Linn<\/td>Roud<\/strong><\/td>RN23431<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

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Music Hall Performers<\/strong><\/td>Harry Linn<\/td><\/tr>
Folk performances<\/strong><\/td>Source Singers<\/strong>
Clachrie, William 1944 USA : Rhode Island
Mathieson, Willie 1952 Scotland : Aberdeenshire<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n
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Weel dae I remember when I was but a bairn\nThe lickings that I used to get when I did ony hairm;\nFor mother she was very strict, though loving, kind and good,\nShe made me aye behave mysel', as a guid bairnies should,\nBut sometimes I'd forget mysel', and maybe brake her laws\nThen I was glad to see her lift the Auld Pair o' Tawse.\n                                       \nSometimes she'd take her bauchel, sometimes she'd take the cane,\nSometimes she'd put me ben the room, and mak' me bide my lane;\nSometimes she'd take her open hand and clash me on the jaws,\nI'd rather hae a licking wi' the Auld Pair o' Tawse.\n<\/em>\nThe pair o' tawse my mither had were nice and saft and thin\nThe poor auld body clipped them frae a piece o' auld sheepskin,\nThey were just as licht's a feather, and sae little strength had she\nThat though she tried wi' a' her micht, she couldna hurt a flee ;\nAI'd roar and great, and stamp my feet,as if 'twas awful sair,\nThen laugh just like to crack my sides when I got doon the stair.\n\nI never liked to see my mother gang and lift the cane,\nI hated when she put me ben the room to bide my lane ;\nAnd when she took her open hand 'twas sure to bring the tears,\nIt made me think a thousand bells were ringing in my ears;\nThe only time that I felt glad, that's when I gave her cause,\nWas aye to see my mither lift the Auld Pair o' Tawse.<\/pre>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n
A pair o’ tawse:  in the 19th century, leather straps for beating children, used in Scotland and Northern England.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The Auld Pair of Tawse <\/em>is a Harry Linn<\/a> song written in the Scottish vernacular – found in several 19th century broadsides and remembered by a small number of source singers. Linn was a Scottish Music  Hall singer and songwriter, hugely popular in both Scotland and Northern England and writer of a number of well known traditional songs.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n
The song appears in Harry Linn’s Fireside Songbook<\/em> which I am taking as evidence that Linn wrote it as well as sang it. There is plenty of independent evidence that it was in his repertoire, and I have found no evidence so far that any of the songs in his songbook were written by anyone else.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n
Two recorded versions are available on the rather wonderful Tobar an Dualchais\/Kist o Riches site, one sung by  Willie Mathieson<\/a> and the other by Lucy and Jean Stewart<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n
Sources:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n