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Document 221

The Single End

Author(s): Anna Blair

Copyright holder(s): Anna Blair

Text

When a' y' ken
's a single en'
You think your nest's
The same's the rest's
Wi' nothing more
Behind the door
But just one room
A tomb, a womb

Table and chair
And gaslight flare
Your inshot bed
Wi' patchwork spread
A hurlie-cot
For me an' Wat
Coat-hooks in rows
A shelf for clo'es

An open grate
The one hot-plate
Dresser wi' crocks
Black jaw-box
Wi' workin' flap
And swan-neck tap
Bunker of dross
A Holy Cross.

And that's your lot
That's all you've got
That's your place
Your livin' space
Your stately home
Your 'pleasure-dome'
BUT wi' oot BEN
Your single-en'

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The SCOTS Project and the University of Glasgow do not necessarily endorse, support or recommend the views expressed in this document.

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Cite this Document

APA Style:

The Single End. 2024. In The Scottish Corpus of Texts & Speech. Glasgow: University of Glasgow. Retrieved 6 October 2024, from http://www.scottishcorpus.ac.uk/document/?documentid=221.

MLA Style:

"The Single End." The Scottish Corpus of Texts & Speech. Glasgow: University of Glasgow, 2024. Web. 6 October 2024. http://www.scottishcorpus.ac.uk/document/?documentid=221.

Chicago Style

The Scottish Corpus of Texts & Speech, s.v., "The Single End," accessed 6 October 2024, http://www.scottishcorpus.ac.uk/document/?documentid=221.

If your style guide prefers a single bibliography entry for this resource, we recommend:

The Scottish Corpus of Texts & Speech. 2024. Glasgow: University of Glasgow. http://www.scottishcorpus.ac.uk.

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Information about Document 221

The Single End

Text

Text audience

General public
Audience size 1

Text details

Method of composition Handwritten
Year of composition 1998
Word count 118

Text setting

Leisure/entertainment
Private/personal

Text type

Poem/song/ballad

Author

Author details

Author id 127
Forenames Anna
Surname Blair
Gender Female
Decade of birth 1920
Educational attainment College
Age left school 17
Upbringing/religious beliefs Protestantism
Occupation Teacher/author
Place of birth Giffnock
Region of birth Glasgow
Birthplace CSD dialect area Gsw
Country of birth Scotland
Place of residence Glasgow
Region of residence Glasgow
Residence CSD dialect area Gsw
Country of residence Scotland
Father's occupation Business
Father's place of birth Glasgow
Father's region of birth Glasgow
Father's birthplace CSD dialect area Gsw
Father's country of birth Scotland
Mother's occupation Business
Mother's place of birth Glasgow
Mother's region of birth Glasgow
Mother's birthplace CSD dialect area Gsw
Mother's country of birth Scotland

Languages

Language Speak Read Write Understand Circumstances
English Yes Yes Yes Yes
French Yes Yes Yes Yes Visits to France, correspondence
Scots Yes Yes Yes Yes

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