> Folk Music > Songs > Mrs Greig / The Straw Man

Mrs Greig / The Straw Man

[ Roud 5161 ; G/D 2:316 ; Ballad Index Ord247 ; trad.]

John Ord: Bothy Songs and Ballads Peter Shepheard: Jock Duncan: The Man and His Songs

Jamie Taylor from Longside, Aberdeenshire sang Mrs Greig to Hamish Henderson on 15 October 1952 (School of Scottish Studies SA1952.32.A1). This recording was included in 1971 on the Tangent anthology Bothy Ballads (Scottish Tradition 1). Hamish Henderson noted:

This song, which Gavin Greig preferred to call The Straw Man—“We have deemed it advisable,” he says, “to suppress names”—is said to have been composed by a crambo-clink village poet called Shaw, who was for a long time the beadle of Alvah. It presents a comic picture of the attempts of an old farmer‘s wife to deal with the problem of nocturnal intruders from the bothy (such as the rover from Airlin‘s Fine Braes!).
Recorded at Blairfowl, September 1952.

Jim and Sylvia Barnes sang Mrs Greig on their 1991 album Mungo Jumbo.

Jock Duncan sang The Strae Man in 2001 on his Sleepytown album Tae the Green Woods Gaen. This track was also included in 2009 on the Sleepytown anthology The Bothy Songs and Ballads of North East Scotland Vol. 4. He also sang The Straw Man at the Fife Traditional Singing Festival in May 2004. This recording was included in 2024 on his double CD Aikey Brae to Ythanside that was released to accompany Peter Shepheard’s book Jock Duncan: The Man and His Songs. Ronnie Cairns noted on the first album:

A comic bothy song which Jock first heard sung by the folklorist and storyteller John Strachan (1875-1958). During Jock’s youth at Faddenhill, John farmed at neighbouring Crichie and was a frequent visitor to the musical evenings held in the Duncan home.

Jock: A true incident in the mid-1800s in the Dunlugas area of King Edward, north o’ Turra. The quines got their ain back on the ultra suspicious fairmer’s wife. This wis een o’ John Strachan’s. He was a storyteller o’ local events, telt in a braid Scots tongue, aboot fowk and ferm touns. He wis born at Crichie and deed there as weel. He’s buried in Fyvie Kirkyerd.

Geordie Murison sang Mistress Greig in 2017 on his Tradition Bearers album The Term Time Is Comin Roon. He noted:

A story about u practical Joke played on an obsessive farmer’s wife enforcing strict rules on her maid servants. Plaidy is located between Turriff and Banff.

Calum McIlroy sang Mistress Greig on his 2020 EP This Ill Deeds. He noted:

I first heard this Aberdeenshire bothy ballad in music class at school. The recording was from May 1960, of a man named Jimmy Taylor from near Peterhead. This was the first piece of traditional music I had heard, and I’d never heard an Aberdeenshire accent that thick before; it was brilliant. Whenever the recording was played in practice exams for the listening test I found it really difficult not to laugh!

It was only in 2015 when Mistress Greig was played in the last ever Ceòl Mòr Big Band gig that I realised how funny the story itself is: (from Tobar an Dualchais) “A comic bothy song in which the servant girls at a farm play a trick on Mrs Greig, the strict mistress of the house, who always inspects their room at night in case they have a man hidden under the bed. The girls make a straw man for her to find one night, and thinking it to be a real man, Mrs Greig has it taken out and cudgelled by her husband. When the trick is revealed, the girls are reprimanded, while Mrs Greig and her husband are left to clean up the mess.”

“Peter Hall has identified Isabella Greig, wife of Alexander Greig of South Sandlaw farm in Alvah, as the character in this song.” (Greig-Duncan vol. 2, p. 573)

Lyrics

Jamie Taylor sings Mrs Greig

Twas at a certain fairm-toon
On the windin‘ Deveron-Plaidy border
There was an auld wifie ca‘d Mrs Greig –
The servant girlies she kept in order.

Chorus:
Tow row row row
Fal al de diddle irie
Fal al de diddle irie
Te tow row row.

Ilkae nicht afore she gaed til her bed
She did search the hoose all over,
For fearin‘ a villain might be there
And amongst them prove a rover.

The wemen o‘ this hed tirèd been
A suit o‘ men‘s clothes they procurèd.
And they hae made a man o’ straw,
And in aneath the bed he was buried.

As Mrs. Greig was gyaun her roonds
’Twas in aneath the bed she spied him,
“Come oot o’ that, ye villain,” she cried,
“And dinna think ye’re fae me hidin.”

The wemen they were putten up
Tae tak him oot fae faur he was lyin’,
And the auld man placed at the fit o’ the stair
Tae cudgel him while from them flyin’.

They’ve teen him oot and they’ve laid him doon;
The auldman he was for him ready,
But fin he laid on his sticks sae hard
Baith his legs fell from his body.

The wemen they were putten awa
For this ill deeds that they’d been doin’,
And Mrs. Greig and her auld man
Was left to gather his body tigether.

Mrs. Greig and her auld man,
Puir auld bodies, they neednae bodder.
Fin he lays on his stick sae hard
Perhaps he’ll maybe slay some odder.

Jim and Sylvia Barnes sing Mrs Greig

It’s of a certain farm toon
Near Deveron’s banks and bonnie borders
There lived an auld wife cried Mistress Greig
The servant lassies kept in order

Each night before she went to bed
Their sleeping quarters searched over
For fear some fellow might there hide
And in amang them prove a rover

Now the women they had tired been
Of this attention that she gave them
To play a trick on her were keen
And the auld guidman to get a share o’t

Now Martinmas being coming on
A suit of men’s clothes was procured
Wi’ that and straw they made a man
And in below the bed they moored it

Now when Mistress Greig cam’ round that night
To guard them all frae carnal danger
In below the curtain pan
The foot appeared there of a stranger

“Come oot o’ that, Whit dae ye want?
Ye needna’ think ye’re frae me hidin”
For a’ that she could rail and rant
He paid nae heed intil her biddin’

She’s told the women, they do say
To drag him out where he was lying
Placed the auld man doon the stair
Tae cudgel him when from them flyin’

She’s dragged him out and threw him doon
To where the auld guidman was for him ready
Sae weel he’s laid the cudgel on
That both the legs flew off the body

Now a court martial was held next day
And all the scattered bones collected
The women they were put away
For this mischief then right sore corrected

Now Mistress Greig and her guidman
I trust nae mair will lovers bother
Nor yet the cudgel try again
For fear the same might slay some other

Jock Duncan sings The Strae Man

Chorus:
Tow-row-row-row, diddle-umpie-doorie,
Diddle-umpie-doorie tae-tow-row-row-row.

’Twas on a certain ferm toon,
By Deveron’s banks pleasant border,
A ferm wife caad Mistress Greig,
Her servant girlies kept in order.

Ilky nicht afore she gaed tae bed,
Her servant’s quarters she searched over,
For fear some fellow there micht hide
An’ in among them prove a rover.

The servant quinies tired been
O’ this attention that she gave them,
Tae play a nasty trick wis keen,
An’ her gweed man tae get a share o’t.

Noo the Martinmas term was cornin’ on,
A suit o’ men’s’ claes was procured,
Wi’ oat an’ strae they made a man,
An’ in below the bed they moored.

Fin Mistress Greig cam roon that nicht,
Tae guard them from a‘ carnal danger,
An‘ in below the curtain pan,
The fit appeared o‘ a stranger.

“Cam oot o‘ aat, fit dae ye wint?
Ye needna think yer fae me hidin‘!”
But a‘ that she did scall an‘ rant,
He pey‘d nae heedin‘ tae her biddin‘.

She telt this quines, they dae say,
Tae pu‘ him oot far he wis lyin‘,
An‘ she placed the gweed man doon the stair,
Tae cudgel him fin he wis flyin‘.

They dragged him oot an‘ threw him doon,
Far the gweed man fur him wis ready,
Sae weel‘s he laid the cudgel on,
That baith the legs flew aff the body.

A post mortem it wis held neist day,
An‘ a‘ the scattered bits collected,
The weemin they were puttin‘ awa‘
Fur this bit rig rieht sair connected.

Noo Mistress Greig an‘ her gweed man,
I trust nae ither lovers bother,
Nor yet the cudgel try again,
For fear the same micht slay anither.

Geordie Murison sings Mistress Greig

Twis at a certain fenn toun,
On the windin Deveron Plaidie border,
There wis an aul wife caad Mistress Greig,
The servant quines she kept in order.

Chorus:
Tow row row row filial di diddle irie
Fatal a diddle irie tae tow row row

Ilka night afore she gaed till her bed
She wid search the hoose a ower,
For fear ony villain micht be there,
An in among them prove a rover.

The weemen they hid tired been
O this attention they hid got,
Tae play a trick on her wis keen
An the aul gweed man tae get a share o it.

It wis aboot the Martimas time,
A suit o men’s claes they procured,
They hae made a man o strae,
An in aneath the bed he wis beeried.

As Mistress Greig wis gyaan er roons,
Twis in aneth the bed she spied im,
“Come oot o that ye villain!” she cried,
“An dinna think yer fae me hidin.”

The weemin they wir putten up
Tae tak im oot fae far he wis lyin.
The aul man placed at the fit o the stair
Tae cudgel him fin fae them fleein.

They’ve taen him oot, they’ve laid im doon,
The aul man he wis for im ready
Fan he held on the stick sae hard,
Baith the legs fell aff the body.

Coort martial it wis held next day,
An a the scattered beens collected.
The weemin they were puttin awa,
For this bit rig richt sair corrected.

Noo Mistress Greig an her aul man
I wyte nae mair will lovers bother,
Nor yet haud on the stick sae hard
For fear they mibe slay anither.

Calum McIlroy sings Mistress Greig

’Twas at a certain ferm toun
On the windin’ Deveron-Plaidy border
There was an auld wifey caad Mistress Greig
The servant girlies she kept in order

Chorus:
Tow row row row te fal de diddle di dee
Te fal de diddle di dee te tow row row

Ilka nicht afore she gaed tae bed
She did search the hoose all over
In fearin’ a villain micht be there
And amongst them prove a rover

The weemin bein’ o’ this sae tired
A suit o’ men’s clothes they procurèd
And they hae made a man o’ straa
And in anaith the bed he was buried

When Mistress Greig was jawin’ her rouns
’Twas in anaith the bed she spied him
“Come oot o’ that, ye villain!” she cried
“An dinna think yer frae me hidin’”

The weemin they were pitten up
To tak him frae whaur he was lyin’
And the auld man placed at the fit o’ the stairs
To cudgel him when from them flyin’

They’ve taen him oot and they’ve lain him doon
The auld man he was for him ready
And when he laid on his stick sae hard
Baith his legs fell from his body

The weemin they were pitten awa
For this ill deeds that they’d been deein’
And Mistress Greig and her auld man
Were left to gaither his body thegither

Mistress Greig and her auld man
Puir auld bodies they need’na bother
And when he lays on his stick sae hard
Perhaps he’ll maybe slay some ither!