The Marlboro Medley - Sound Recording

The Marlboro Medley - Sound Recording

Sound recording of "The Marlboro Medley" by Margaret MacArthur from her 1989 recording, Vermont Ballads and Broadsides.

MacArthur, Margaret (Performer)

From the album Vermont Ballads and Broadsides by Margaret MacArthur

© 1989 Estate of Margaret MacArthur

marlboro-medley_margaret-macarthur_vermont-ballads-broadsides

Text
1787—The Marlboro Medley, — tune Black Joke


When Marlboro Merchants set out for Pedling,

Made lawful by custom, (let none be meddling)

Barter is legal when trading for grain. —

With Wherry’s & Horses, see how they turn out,

Each Pedlar taking his different rout

With notions & things both curious & common,

To please Men & Children & gratify Women,

Which I shall here attempt to name. —

Their Budgets consist of variety —

There’s no two Pungs whose loads agree,

Each Pedlar hath his different ware, —

Whirls & spindles, Jews harps & thimbles,

Shoemakers Lasts & Peg-awls & wimbles,

Dippers & Noggins & Cann’s to make grog in

To barter for corn— “Have you any to spare” ?

Here comes the Bowls & wooden dishes,

Sleek looking trouts, “most exelent fishes”—

From Marlboro’ ponds & holes in the Brook —

Where in winter, a fishing they go,

Up to their waist-bands thro the snow,

There, thro’ the ice they cut a hole,

Then, they fish without a pole—

Dexterous Anglers with a hook. —

Lo Hog-yoaks, Goose-Y[o]aks, Taps & fassets

(And Tools to make them, Jack-knives and Hatchets)

To hamper Your piggs, Your Geese, and draw beer, —

With parchment screens to clean Flax-seed

Chees-tongs, wooden fans & weaver’s Reed’, —

Great spinning wheels & Swifts & Reels

And Snow-shoes strung from Toe to heel

To run on the crust & catch the Deer.—

“Come buy our Bread-trophs, buy our sieves,

To sift your meal from bran & shives, —

Different sorts both hide & hair,—

Half-Bushels and Pecks (all made by guess,)

Two Quart Dippers, (a thousand or less,)

Poaks, Ox-Yoaks, & hopples for Horses,

Straw-hats & Bonnetts for Lads & Lasses,

Good as the best, the Gentry wear.” —

Now comes the Baskets & the Rakes

Enough to supply the Thirteen States

Besides a large pile of new made Chairs. —

Pails, Pipkins & Tubs, for washing & brewing

Great wooden-platters to take up your stew in

Brooms, Dye-pots & Keelers, salt-mortars, & pestles,

Pudding-sticks, Ladles, whip-stocks & whistles,

Beside, wooden spoons as plenty as hairs. —

Here comes the Turnips & fine Bobbin-lace,

Braided-bark mittens, (your hands to case,)

A rare invention, every one says, —

Saddle-tree-woods & Birch-barrel-bottles,

Shoe-make[rs] spools & Iron-wood shuttles,

Besoms & oven-lids, (handy when baking).

Boxes for flour & Tray’s to make Cake in

And Wickopy stay-tape to lace up the Stays—

But now we must leave the ingenious Mechanic,

And sing how Root Doctors pursue their Botanic-

al Rambles thro Forrests o'er Hills & the Plain.

To dig blue Cohosh and sarsaparilla

Green Pettymorrel and purple a[n]geli-

ca Snake-root & Ginseng & modest Wild Piony,

The Root for Consumption & mending old China,

With Poke-root & Blood-root & Ellecampane. —

In early setling the Town, one Year

They’d no luck in hunting the Bear or the Deer,

No Bread to be had, Potatoes were scarce: —

Then had the Small-pox with all its infection

Have pass’d through the Town in every direction,

It could not have touched such dioted Men,

Where dozens could breakfast on Robin or Wren —

Disease disappointed must sneak from the place. —

But now they fare better, they’ve some thing to eat,

Various fowls & four footed meat,

Pa[r]tridge & Wood-cock & Wild Turkey-hen

Geese, Pigeons & Ducks, Skunks & Woodchucks,

Lusty Rackcoons well fatted with nutts,

Porcupines, squirrels & Rabbits & Hares,

For Beef they [have] moose, for Pork they have bears

And saddles of Venison now an then. —

A Pung or two more brings up the rear,

With Green Spruce-boughs for brewing Beer,

Rosin of Hemlock & Hack metack gum,

Balsam of Fir & sugar of maple,

Lime, Shingles and Salts, (The Marlboro’ staples)

Red-ochre, Sal-Petre, & Butter-nutt physic

Assmart-pills, a cure for the phthiysic

And Candy — Black-Strap* too stubborn to run.

And now my Medley draws nigh a close,

A rap on [my] knuckles, or wring of my Nose,

Shan’t hinder my Toast, — I’ll out with it here,

May Manufacturers long abound

In this Mechanical Pedling Town,

And may those Sons whose Sires are dead !

Have as good means to get their Bread

As their [ ] have had for many years.


(Transcription by Patience Young)

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