Annotation:Todlen Butt and Todlen Ben
X:1 T:Todlen Butt and Todlen Ben M:6/8 L:1/8 R:Air B: William Thomson - Orpheus Caledonius, vol. II (1733, No. 41, p. 168) B: https://digital.nls.uk/special-collections-of-printed-music/archive/91482038 N:Thomson (c. 1695-1753) was a Scottish singer and folk song collector N:who lived in London for most of his adult career. Z:AK/Fiddler’s Companion P:Vocal K:Emin E e e e2g|d e g dB G|Ee e e ^f g|dB G A2G| E e e e2g|d e g dB G|E e e e2 g|dB G A2-G|| |:AB d A2-G|AB d G3|A B d e2g|dB G A2 G:||
TODLEN BUTT AND TODLEN BEN. Scottish, Air (6/8 time). E Minor. Standard tuning (fiddle). ABB. "Todlen Butt and Todlen Ben" is the name of a song published by poet and playwright Allan Ramsay (1686-1758) in his Tea-Table Miscellany, vol. 2(p. 154), marked by him with a "Z" indicating it was an old song that he had adapted or modified. While Ramsay's text survived to be reprinted any number of times in the 18th century (often as "Todlin Hame"), the tune as it appears in Thomson's Orpheus Caledonius vol. 2 (1733) was replaced with other melodies over the years.
The first couple of stanzas go:
When I have a saxpence under my thumb,
Then I'll get credit in ilka town,
But ay when I'm poor ,they bid me gae by,
O poverty parts good company.
Todlen hame, todlen hame,
O Cou'dna my love come todlen hame.
Fair fa' the goodwife, and send her good sale,
She gi'es ns white bannocks to drink her ale,
Syne if that her tippeny chance to be sma',
We'll tak a good scour o't, and ca't awa'.
Todlen hame, todlen hame.
As round as a neep come todlen hame.
