Traditional: Collected Lyrics
275 / 291
Public-domain lyrics

My Wife she dang me

Traditional

“My Wife she dang me” as printed in The Book of Scottish Song (1843).

Traditional: Collected Lyrics Text 275 1843 · historical text
Public domainScottish songFolk
Complete public-domain lyrics

This text comes from The Book of Scottish Song, edited by Alexander Whitelaw, a historical songbook transcribed on Wikisource and reproduced from the pinned revision linked below.

Verse 1

O, ay my wife she dang me,

And aft my wife she banged me!

If ye gi'e a woman a' her will,

Gude faith, she'll soon owergang ye.

On peace and rest my mind was bent,

And, fool I was, I married;

But never honest man's intent

As cursedly miscarried!

O, ay my wife, &c.

Some sair o' comfort still at last,

When a' thir days are dune, man—

My pains o' hell on earth are past,

I'm sure o' heaven aboon, man.

O, ay my wife, &c.

Credits

Written by Traditional

Traditional words. Historical text published in The Book of Scottish Song (1843); public domain. No claim to a modern recording or arrangement.

Source & text edition

The Book of Scottish Song (1843), edited by Alexander Whitelaw, “My Wife she dang me”

Every contribution in this 1843 anthology predates modern copyright terms by more than a century; any contributor died at least 130 years ago, so the text is in the public domain worldwide (life+70 terms expired no later than 2020).

How to read this historical text and its source

Read the source on Wikisource

View copyright evidence · Transcription terms (CC BY-SA 4.0)

Retrieved 2026-10-12. Line spacing and section labels are adapted for reading. The displayed text follows the linked edition. Editorial notes and abstract artwork are by 52lyrics.
Keep tracing

More from Traditional: Collected Lyrics.

01A good old SongPublic-domain lyrics02I canna be fashedPublic-domain lyrics03It's weel it's nae waurPublic-domain lyrics04'Twas na her bonnie blue e'ePublic-domain lyrics