Oh Dear; Deer.

 

My mother used to sing an old Irish folk song: –

I know where I’m going
And I know who’s going with me
I know who I love
And my dear knows who I’ll marry.

I have stockings of silk
And shoes of bright green leather
Combs to buckle my hair
And a ring for every finger.

O’ feather beds are soft
And painted rooms are bonnie
But I would give them all
For my handsome winsome Johnny.

Some say that he’s poor
But I say that he’s bonnie
Fairest of them all
Is my handsome winsome Johnny

For some reason, instead of “and my dear knows who I’ll marry”, my mother used to sing “but the deer knows who I’ll marry”.

I always wondered who “the deer” was. I’ve only just discovered her mistake…

©Jane Paterson Basil