Tail Todle
Oor gudewife held o'er to Fife, For to buy a coal-riddle; Lang or she cam back again, Tammie gart my tail todle. Tail todle, tail todle; Tammie gart my tail todle; At my arse wi diddle doddle, Tammie gart my tail todle. When I'm deid I'm oot o' date; When I'm seek I'm fu' o' trouble; When I'm weel I step aboot, An Tammie gars my tail todle; Tail todle, tail todle; Tammie gart my tail todle; At my arse wi diddle doddle, Tammie gart my tail todle. Jenny Jack she gae a plack, Helen Wallace gae a boddle, Qo the bride, it's o'er little For to mend a broken doddle. Tail todle, tail todle; Tammie gart my tail todle; At my arse wi diddle doddle, Tammie gart my tail todle.
Tail Todle - meaning Summary
Rustic Bawdy Domestic Humor
This short Scots song is a playful, rustic vignette about domestic absence and erotic mischief. With a repetitive refrain, the speaker tells of his wife’s trip to Fife and how a character, Tammie, makes his "tail todle," a comic, likely sexual, image of bodily stirring. The verses mix everyday details and small-town gossip—payments, brides, and teasing neighbors—producing light-hearted, bawdy humor. The poem trades on dialect and repetition to create a sing-song rhythm that emphasizes communal amusement and the speaker’s bemused embarrassment rather than serious emotion.
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