The Workhouse Part one: I mine me Da wi his heid in his hans Wi teary een lukkin at is wee wans A broken maun as he slowly stans An put hir irms aroon oor mawther I seen her een wur tear filt tae And nither o them had a wurd tae sey I alloo’ed something naw guid wus happenin thon dey A dey I mine lake I mine nae ither They lifted wee bags frae the kitchen flur An led me an wee Rosie oot oor front dur Withoot lukkin bak we tramped fer an ‘oor We wunnured what it wus they wur plannin I alloo’ed maybe we wur gan tae the shap But whun we got there we didnae stap We kep on the street right ip tae the tap Tae whur a big rid hoose wus stannin Mae Da was mute an mae ma wus mopin An I shane seen why whun thon dur swung open Here wus a place ye cud lose all hope in They ushered me an wee Rosie inside I lukked aroon as the dur closed behin It wus only me an Rosie had been lot in I didnae know whur tae begin When Rosie lukked at me a’ teary eyed I tuk her han an hoult it tight I sez wee Rosie it’ll be a’ right They’ll be bak fer is afore the night I wus only eight but I wus tryin Wee Rosie gleeked at me wi trust If I said it was so well then it must But my promises shane wud fa tae dust and wee Rosie wud know I wus lyin They set is doon an shaved oor hair An aksed is baeth whit age we wur Then they tuk u away an kep me there I seen the fear in your een me wee Rosie I dane mae best tae run tae you But a big bodie geen me a cuff or two An hoult me as you disappeared frae view The last time I iver seen ye wee Rosie I ley thon night on a thin stra beid Withoot a pilla fer mae heid Naebodie asked if thur was aught I’d need It wus coul an too dark tae see I thought o mae Da sittin pleyin his fiddle An him tasin is wi some wee riddle An mae Ma singin as she baked scones on the griddle Nae mare music or scones fur me Thon workhoose wus a terrible fate An niver mine I wus only eight They garred me work tae earn mae mate But they fed is only gruel We split tar rope tae oor hans wur sore Oor nels ripped aff an our fingers tore Nae metter whut ye dane they lukked for more For thon wardens wur harsh an cruel Bein only eight when I wakked in thon dor I shane had tae larn whit mae fists wur for Any wha tackled me didnae come bak fer mor If I was gan doon I’d be gan doon wi a fight They toul me there that bein poor wus a sin An the lakes o me had tae lee my pride behin So I bit mae lip an hoult it in Some dey I knowed I’d show them who’s right I suffered in thon place Rosie, an I’m sure ye suffered too And niver a dey dawned wee Rosie, I didnae think o you But I got strength frae that wee Rosie, I swore I’d see this through An I waited fer the dae wee Rosie that they’d slam thon dur behin me An I swore whun I hard thon dark dur close An I stepped oot wi nathin but mae clothes I’d come lukkin for you my wee sister Rose An nathin wud stap me til I’d fin ye Noo I didnae think I owed my country a lot For up tae noo they’d left me here tae rot But the army sounded better than what I’d got When they came lukkin for volunteers They toul is it wud be a shoart wee war We’d be bak for Christmas or maybe afore But I’d nae hame tae come tae onymore So I didnae care if it lasted for years Well Rosie the workhouse wus hell Alright But at least they lot ye lay doon at night I wun up in a trench haein tae sleep upright For the thing was knee deep in watter An the horrors there, that’s anither story They toul is a’ aboot faith an glory They niver said it’d be grim an gory An if we died it didnae matter For years I stud wi the best o men Facin a hail o bullets that fell lake ren But they made is charge them again an again I cried your name ivry time they assailed me Guid men fell ivry passing day An finally a bullet came my way I mine weel thinkin as I faded away Wee Rosie I’m sorry I failed ye It seemed my last thought wud be o you But against the odds I made it through They sey ye’ll naw die until ye’re due Maybe I wus spared so I could fin ye They fixed is up an shipped is hame In a boat full o broken and blin an lame Men wha’s life wud niver be the same But at least war an workhoose wur noo behin me When the tren pulled in at oor wee toon A crowd o folk wur millin roon And they cheered fur is as they carried is doon But I wunnered what they wur cheerin for I juked mae wi oot through the thrang An wakked up thon road we’d wakked alang I was gan tae tak ye bak where ye belang So I knocked on thon workhoose dor I stepped in an aksed fer you bae name An said I wus here tae tak ye hame But thon guardian hung his heid in shame The only compassion I’d seen in thon man He toult me they had sent you awa Awa frae me an yer Ma an Da An Rosie what wus worst o a’ He cudnae tell me whor ye’d gan In spite o a that I’d been through I kep gan because I always knew That someday again I’d meet wi you But Rosie they stole that frae me I niver left oor ain hame place I stayed here Rosie joost in case Some dae agin I’d see your face An my wee Rosie wud come bak tae me An ivry letter that I got Afore I opened it I thought Cud this be you? But it wus not I wunner dae ye stil mine me? Mae daes ir done noo Rosie dear Ye’ll niver know that I waited here And thought o you ivry dey o ivry year But my years ir all behin me Me sight is failing an my hour is late I haenae got lang noo Rosie tae wait I hear the postman at the gate But I haenae the een onymare tae read I’m here alain an tired an oul I niver see anither sule I think the morenin will fin me stiff an coul And I’ll get my peace when at last I’m deed. Part Two: The Letter. Dear Brither Bertie I fear we’ll naw meet again And that dark thought fills my heart wi pain The last time I seen ye I was joost a wain But Bertie I niver forgot ye The dae we entered thon workhouse dur Tae begin oor punishment for bein poor As if hurting is wud mak is pure At least that’s what they taught me Bad enough partin frae me da an Ma But when they took ye awa frae me an a’ My legs went weak an I started tae fa’ But nae bodie tried tae catch me I cried your name but ye cudnae hear Lakely ye wur feelin the selfsame fear I wanted sae much tae hae ye near But all they did wus watch me Seven year I spent inside thon place They toul me tae be thankful for God’s grace But niver yince did I see a kindly face Amang them that did the tellin I toul them I wanted tae larn tae read They niver piyed me a bit o heed Sure the likes o me wud hae nae need For the numbers or the spellin It wus my fourteenth birthday, tho I didnae know When the Matron led me doon below An toul me it wus time tae go I thought that ye had come tae get me But when I stepped outside thon workhoose gate I met an altogether different fate It wasn’t you wha stud in wait It wusnae you wha met me A bodie handed me a ticket there An said the guardians had piyed mae fare An whun I dared tae akse him where He said there’d be nae debatin He toul me I shud houl my tongue An thank the lord that I was young And shane enough they had me brung Tae the docks where a boat wus waitin I aksed if you wur coming to He said he’d see what he cud do But I seen in his een it wusnae true An that joy wud be denied me Thon workhoose had stole awa my pride An mae family tae wur loost inside Nae wunner I broke doon an cried Hope died thon dae inside me On boord thon ship for New South Wales Just anither workhoose but this time wi sails I gret as she battled through the gales At the loss o them left ahind me I wept for mae Da an my dear mither But I wept the maste an abain a’ ither For the loos o you my sweetest brither I hadnae even a picture tae remin me A couple met me at the quay It was tae be the servants life for me Yin step removed frae slavery In a place naw o my choosin’ I laboured there for pittance pay An saved my monay against the day When I’d gither enough tae rin away Frae the misery an abusin’ Ten hard years in that place I stayed First a servant, then a maid Til at last I fled tae Adelaide My first dey free since the age o seven I didnae know a single sule But folk wur guid an I wus toul Whor tae fin a place oot o the coul Sure Bertie I thought I wus in heaven The years went by, they fairly flew I settled doon an had childer too But many’s the time I thought o you An wunnered hoo ye wur dain’ Mae life had made mee doot the lord For folks deeds had spoken looder than wurd But for a’o that whun times wur hard I wusnae abain kneelin doon an prayin’ I niver aksed fer personal gain Only fer health fer a wee seik wain And only tae see ye yince again Afore the years wud bate me But Bertie the years will always win An mae earthly time is drawin in An It piys nae heed tae kith nor kin I hope a better place awaits me It’s a strange thing Bertie, whun oor race is run We luk bak tae whor it a begun An shed a tear for what wus done An wish it could hae been better Ach Bertie a tear drop is fa’in on this page It’s smudging the ink wi a terrible rage I hope the hamefolk see the shame of the workhoose age If any o them iver see this letter. I hae nae address tae post this to But Bertie I pray it fins its wi tae you So you can know I made it through And that I wus proud tae know ye Goodbye dear Bertie I had to write Afore I slip tae eternal night But know this Bertie, before my sule taks flight My last thought will be o ye Your stolen sister Wee Rosie Willie Laverty
Posted on: Fri, 13 Sep 2013 20:07:39 +0000
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