Kate Rusby - The Old Man lyrics

There was an old man who lived in a wood As you can plainly see He said he could do as much work in a day As his wife could do in three With all my heart the woman she said If that's what you will allow Tomorrow you'll stay at home in my stead And I go drive the plough But you must milk our Tidy the cow For fear she will go dry You must feed the littlest pigs That are within the sty And you must mind the speckled hen For fear she'll lay away And then you must reel the spool of yarn That I spun yesterday The woman she took up her staff in her hand And she went to drive the plough The old man took up a pale in his hand And he went to milk the cow But Tidy hinched and Tidy flinched And Tidy broke his nose And Tidy she gave to him such a big blow The poor man took to his toes Hi Tidy home Tidy Tidy thou stand still If ever I'm ill be tidy again, Be sore against my will He went to feed the little pigs That were within the sty He hit his big head upon a thick beam And he made his red blood fly He went to find the speckledy hen For fear she'd lay astray Forgot to reel the spool of yarn His wife spun yesterday He swore by the sun, the moon, the stars, The green leaves on the tree If his wife didn't do a days work in her life She won't be ruled by he There was an old man who lived in a wood As you can plainly see He said he could do as much work in a day As his wife could do in three With all my heart the woman she said If that's what you will allow Tomorrow you'll stay at home in my stead And I go drive the plough