Ilkley Moor


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Wheer has tha' bin sin I saw thee? (I saw thee?)
On Ilkley Moor bah't 'at
Wheer has tha' bin sin I saw thee?
Wheer has tha' bin sin I saw thee?

Ah've been a-courtin' Mary Jane (Mary Jane)
On Ilkley Moor bah't 'at
Ah've been a-courtin' Mary Jane
Ah've been a-courtin' Mary Jane

On Ilkley Moor bah't 'at
On Ilkley Moor bah't 'at
On Ilkley Moor bah't 'at

Tha'll go an catch thee death o'cowld (death o' cowld)
On Ilkley Moor bah't 'at
Tha'll go an catch thee death o'cowld
Tha'll go an catch thee death o'cowld

On Ilkley Moor bah't 'at (etc.....)

Then we shall 'ave to bury thee (bury thee.....)

Then worms'll come and eat thee up ....

Then ducks'll come and eat up t'worms .....

Then we shall come and eat up t'ducks.....

Then we shall all have etten thee .......

Translation for those readers outside Yorkshire :

Wheer has tha' bin = where have you been
sin I saw thee = since I last saw you
Ilkley Moor is a moorland area in West Yorkshire, very exposed and windy
bah't 'at = without a hat
etten = eaten

The rest of the song is self-explanatory, but note that t' indicates a glottal stop (very difficult for a lot of people, so omit it entirely if you want to, it won't make a lot of difference!)