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Document 640

Dipper: 28 - O It's Cauld Abune the Blankets

Author(s): Dr James A Begg

Copyright holder(s): Dr James A Begg

Text

As ben the room my silent braiths
fufft oot like railway trains,
An Cranreuch's fernie feathers
froze across the windae-panes,
Gin deep inby the windae-sole
lay driven pouthert snaw,
I wis sweirt tae pairt wi snug warm claes -
semmit, socks an aa!
- O it's cauld abune the blankets,
an gey cauld atween the sheets!
Whan I chittert on the lino flair
as intae bed I crept,
An juist like ony ither lad
in dreamless depths I slept,
Wi my heid ablow the bedclaes,
an my knees up tae my kist,
That piggy snugglt at my feet
wad shuir be sairly misst.
- For it's cauld atween the blankets,
an gey cauld atween the sheets!

Wi a florin in the meter,
the ane-bar heater glowed
In my wee smaa attic bedroom
heich abune Great Western Road,
As yellae damp November fogs
smoord oot the freenlie licht,
An I courit ower the textbuiks
by the fire till deid o nicht.
- O it's cauld abune the blankets,
an gey cauld atween the sheets!
Whan founert wi a fever,
streamin neb an stounin heid,
I'd hap me up, an tak my bed,
an wish that I were deid,
Twa pullovers, three aspirin,
an ne'er a drap o toddy
Tae heat my banes, an brek my sweit,
an sooth my gowpin body!
- O it's cauld abune the blankets,
an gey cauld atween the sheets!

Thae cauldrife years are weel awa -
nae mair the lanesome bed,
They vanished in the mists o time,
the day that I wis wed;
I swappt my piggy for a wife!
Sae saft, sae fresh, sae fair -
O whit a chynge cam ower my life,
a chynge ayont compare.
- Tho it's cauld abune the blankets,
nou it's warm atween the sheets!
For whit rid-bluidit laddie
cuid forsweir his lassie's chairms,
As they snugglt up thegither
in ane anither's airms,
As 'neath the surgin billows
o the bedclaes owerheid,
The tide o love eternal
wis rinnin strang indeed!
- O it's het abune the blankets,
an hetter 'tween the sheets!

The seas fin caumer nou-adays,
but whiles a tempest howls,
An opens up a three-fuit gap
atween twa sundert sowls,
Wi lourin silence up abune,
as back tae back they lie,
First ane an then the tither,
gies a wee bit souch an sigh.
- O it's cauld abune the blankets -
an cauld atween the sheets!
Twa heids fidgin on the pillows,
twa hauns ruggin at the claes,
Twa feet raxin ower sideweys
till there's kittlin o the taes,
Twa bodies birl thegither,
twa pair o airms entwine
In silent hugs that say it aa -
'I'm yours, an ye are mine!'
- O it's warm abune the blankets,
an it's warm atween the sheets!

May God grant us lang thegither -
forbye a tiff or twa,
Tae lou baith ane anither,
afore ane's caad awa,
An laes the tither aa their lane,
tae dree whit auld folk dread,
Lang waefu nichts a-steirin
in a waukrife, lanesome bed.
- Whaur it's cauld abune the blankets,
an aye cauld atween the sheets!

___
fufft/puffed
cranreuch/frost
pouthert/powdered
sundert/split apart
lourin/overcast
kittlin/tickling
lou/love
dree/endure

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APA Style:

Dipper: 28 - O It's Cauld Abune the Blankets. 2024. In The Scottish Corpus of Texts & Speech. Glasgow: University of Glasgow. Retrieved 29 March 2024, from http://www.scottishcorpus.ac.uk/document/?documentid=640.

MLA Style:

"Dipper: 28 - O It's Cauld Abune the Blankets." The Scottish Corpus of Texts & Speech. Glasgow: University of Glasgow, 2024. Web. 29 March 2024. http://www.scottishcorpus.ac.uk/document/?documentid=640.

Chicago Style

The Scottish Corpus of Texts & Speech, s.v., "Dipper: 28 - O It's Cauld Abune the Blankets," accessed 29 March 2024, http://www.scottishcorpus.ac.uk/document/?documentid=640.

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 640

Dipper: 28 - O It's Cauld Abune the Blankets

Text

Text audience

General public
Audience size 1000+

Text details

Method of composition Handwritten
Year of composition 1985
Word count 546
General description Anthology of prizewinning and other Scots poems, and short stories in Ayrshire Scots.

Text medium

Book
Radio
Other Audiocassette

Text publication details

Published
Publisher Luath Press
Publication year 1991
Place of publication Barr, Ayrshire
ISBN/ISSN 0946487227
Edition First
Part of larger text
Contained in The Dipper an the Three Wee Deils: Tales and Poems in Ayrshire Scots
Editor Authors: Dr. J. A. Begg and J. Reid
Page numbers 68-70

Text setting

Leisure/entertainment
Private/personal

Text type

Poem/song/ballad

Author

Author details

Author id 623
Title Dr
Forenames James
Initials A
Surname Begg
Gender Male
Decade of birth 1940
Educational attainment University
Age left school 17
Upbringing/religious beliefs Protestantism
Occupation Medical Practitioner
Place of birth New Cumnock
Region of birth S Ayr
Birthplace CSD dialect area Ayr
Country of birth Scotland
Place of residence Ayr
Region of residence S Ayr
Residence CSD dialect area Ayr
Country of residence Scotland
Father's occupation Clerical Officer, NCB
Father's place of birth Sandbank
Father's region of birth Argyll
Father's birthplace CSD dialect area Arg
Father's country of birth Scotland
Mother's occupation Primary Teacher
Mother's place of birth New Cumnock
Mother's region of birth S Ayr
Mother's birthplace CSD dialect area Ayr
Mother's country of birth Scotland

Languages

Language Speak Read Write Understand Circumstances
Danish No No No No A little
English Yes Yes Yes Yes Home, socially, at work
French Yes Yes Yes Yes Holidaying in France
Norwegian No No No No A little
Scots Yes Yes Yes Yes Home, socially, at work

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