Betsy Bell
Track Information
Original Track ID
SA1960.144.B4
Original Tape ID
Summary
Fragments of the comic song 'Betsy Bell', in which Betsy is willing to accept any man for a partner: "onything that wears a pair o breeks [trousers]". She has not had much luck in the past: Geordie Wricht [Wright] proposed, only telling her it had been a joke after she accepted.
Item Notes
2 verses of 4 lines. Usually, in the remainder of the song, Betsy meets Janet Cooke, an old woman married three times before, and with a fondness for the bottle; learning that Janet is to be married again, Betsy asks why, if such a woman can find a man, she cannot. She closes by asking if any man present is looking for a wife, and describing her skills.
See:
'Songs and Ballads of Dundee' (N. Gatherer, 1986, 2000) p. 88
'Till Doomsday in the Afternoon' (E. MacColl & P. Seeger, 1986) pp. 265-266
Recording Location
County - Aberdeenshire
Parish - Old Deer
Village/Place - Fetterangus
Language
Scots
Genre
Collection
Classification
Source Type
Reel to reel
Audio Quality
Good