Wednesday, May 13, 2009

Mercian Tittery Ay

Today I thought I'd post an old folk song that I know called, "Mercian Tittery Ay". However, it seems that most people know this song as "Eggs & Marrowbones". I remember my Grandmaw Mary used to sing this in her kitchen while she cooked. She would hum and sing, and I was expected to join in on the chorus. I always thought this song was so funny.


Grandmaw Mary in the kitchen. I can still hear her singing, "Mercian Tittery Ay"

I never did know what the words "Mercian Tittery Ay" meant, but I've heard a similar version of this song (but not exactly the same) by Maggie Hammons. Hers is the only recorded version that I know of that uses the "Mercian Tittery Ay" in it. All of the other versions uses a different chorus line. Webster County, where Maggie Hammons was from, and Pendleton County, where my Granny was from, are fairly close to each other, and pretty much only a mountain separates the two locations. I wonder if they knew the same people, or if their ancestors came from the same place in Ireland. If the latter is the case, that would put this ballad in Pendleton County by the 1820's.

From what I can find, this folk song is Irish in origin and is classified as a Broadside Ballad. It is also known as "The Old Woman from Wexford".
=======================
Mercian Tittery Ay (Eggs and Marrowbones)

There was a woman up on the hill,
In a big house she did dwell,
She loved her husband dearly,
But another man twice as well.

Mercian Tittery Tittery Tittery
Mercian Tittery Tittery-Ay.

One day she went to the doctor,
Some medicine for to find,
She said, "Doctor give me something,
For to make the old man blind."

Mercian Tittery Tittery Tittery
Mercian Tittery Tittery-Ay.

"Feed him eggs and marrowbone,
And make him suck them all;
It won't be very long until
Your man won't see at all."

Mercian Tittery Tittery Tittery
Mercian Tittery Tittery-Ay.

She fed him eggs and marrowbone,
And made him suck them all,
It wasn't very long until,
He couldn't see the wall.

Mercian Tittery Tittery Tittery
Mercian Tittery Tittery-Ay.

The old man said, "I'd drown myself,
But that would be a sin."
The woman said, "I'll go with you,
To see you don't fall in."

Mercian Tittery Tittery Tittery
Mercian Tittery Tittery-Ay.

They walked along together,
'Til they came to the river's brim,
But he said, "I'll not drown myself,
You'll have to push me in.

Mercian Tittery Tittery Tittery
Mercian Tittery Tittery-Ay.

The woman made the offer,
And had a run and go;
But the old man quickly stepped aside,
And she fell in the river below.

Mercian Tittery Tittery Tittery
Mercian Tittery Tittery-Ay.

She screamed and she hollered
Just as loud as she could bawl,
He said, "My dear beloved wife,
I still can't see at all."

Mercian Tittery Tittery Tittery
Mercian Tittery Tittery-Ay.

She swam and swam and swam until,
She could no further swim;
When he grabbed up a cedar pole
And pushed her deeper in.

Mercian Tittery Tittery Tittery
Mercian Tittery Tittery-Ay.

Now eatin' eggs and marrowbones,
Won't make your old man blind;
So if you want to be shed of him,
You must sneak up from behind.

Mercian Tittery Tittery Tittery
Mercian Tittery Tittery-Ay.
========

So have any of you out there ever heard this song? Do any of you know the origins of the words "Mercian Tittery Ay"?

5 comments:

  1. Matthew

    Maggie Hammons sang this tune. I think it's one of the Library of Congress recordings. Does this song have a connection to "Over the Waterfall"?

    ReplyDelete
  2. BJ.

    As indicated in the post, I am aware that Maggie Hammons recorded a version of this song, and her version is the closest to the one that my Granny sang. The two versions are still significantly different, though.

    Still, it is neat that the song survives.

    I don't know of any connection to "Over the Waterfall". There are so many of these old ballads, it's hard to say.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Matthew-I've never heard it-but I like it. I especially like thinking of your grandmother & you singing it in the kitchen-neat.

    ReplyDelete
  4. I've heard this but with a different title and of course different words--but the gist of the story was the same. I like your grandma's version. Maybe I can find the Hammons version to listen to the melody.

    Ballads changed with each singer, really--each one adapted to fit their voice and vocabulary so it's no wander there are many different versions. The same thing continues to happen--when I sing them i might change a word or two, or adjust the melody slightly to be more comfortable for my voice. It's what makes them so enjoyable; since no one really owns them we're free to make them our own!

    ReplyDelete
  5. Matthew, I went looking for the version I know, and it's called Rich Old Lady. There are two other titles/versions floating around too. The version of Rich Old Lady in the link below is still different from the one I've heard, but close enough. The song is apparently localized by a lot of singers!

    Eggs and Marrowbones
    http://www.wtv-zone.com/phyrst/audio/nfld/23/wexford.htm

    Old Woman of Wexford
    http://www.wtv-zone.com/phyrst/audio/nfld/05/wexford.htm

    Rich Old Lady
    http://sniff.numachi.com/pages/tiMARBON6;ttMARBON6.html

    Still, of all these, I like your poste version best. The little run is so neat and different.

    Fun! Thanks for sending me on a search. I love this stuff!

    ReplyDelete