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The Hag in the Beck
[George H. Cowling]
O! What do ye Wesh i' the Beck is a poem by George H. Cowling (1881-1946, Lecturer in English at the University of Leeds and subsequently Professor of English at Melbourne). It was included in F.W. Moorman's book Yorkshire Dialect Poems 1673-1915. Fay Hield sang it as The Hag in the Beck in 2016 on her third album, Old Adam.
Lyrics
George H. Cowling's O! What do ye Wesh i' the Beck | Fay Hield sings The Hag in the Beck |
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“O! what do ye wesh i' the beck, awd wench? |
“On what do you wash in the beck, old hag? |
“O! what do ye cut i' the slack, awd hag? |
“Oh what do you cut in the slack, old hag? |
“O! what do ye greaye at the crossroads, witch? |
“And what do you dig at the crossroads, witch? |
“An' whea be-owes coffin an' shrood, foul witch? |
“And who owns the coffin and shroud, foul witch? |