It fell about the Martinmas time,
And a gay time it was than,
That our gudewife had puddings to mak,
And she boil'd them in the pan.
The wind blew cauld frae east and north, 5
And blew into the floor;
Quoth our gudeman to our gudewife,
"Get up and bar the door."
"My hand is in my hussyskep,
Goodman, as ye may see; 10
An' it shou'dna be barr'd this hunder year,
It's ne'er be barr'd by me."
They made a paction 'tween them twa,
They made it firm and sure,
That the first word whaever spak, 15
Should rise and bar the door.
Than by there came twa gentlemen,
At twelve o'clock at night,
Whan they can see na ither house,
And at the door they light. 20
"Now whether is this a rich man's house,
Or whether is it a poor?"
But ne'er a word wad ane o' them speak,
For barring of the door.
And first they ate the white puddings, 25
And syne they ate the black:
Muckle thought the gudewife to hersell,
Yet ne'er a word she spak.
Then ane unto the ither said,
"Here, man, tak ye my knife; 30
Do ye tak aff the auld man's beard,
And I'll kiss the gudewife."
"But there's na water in the house,
And what shall we do than?"
"What ails ye at the pudding bree 35
That boils into the pan?"
O up then started our gudeman,
An angry man was he;
"Will ye kiss my wife before my een,
And scald me wi' pudding bree?"