Taffy was a Welshman

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Taffy was a Welshman is a nursery rhyme. Its origins are in Celtic mythology, in which the Celtic god Amaethon stole from Arawn.[1] It makes use of the ethnic slur Taffy. A common way it is sung (with "mutton" sometimes being used in place of "marrow") is:

Taffy was a Welshman,

Taffy was a thief;

Taffy came to my house

And stole a piece of beef.

I went to Taffy's house,

Taffy was not home;

Taffy came to my house

And stole a marrow bone.

I went to Taffy's house,

Taffy was not in;

Taffy came to my house

And stole a silver pin.

I went to Taffy's house,

Taffy was in bed;

I took up a poker

And threw it at his head.

Another version of the old anti-Welsh English nursery rhyme begins:

Taffy was a Welshman, Taffy was a thief,

Taffy came to my house and stole a leg of beef.

I went to Taffy's house, Taffy wasn't in,

I jumped upon his Sunday hat and poked it with a pin.

Another version runs:

Taffy was a Welshman, Taffy was a thief,

Taffy came to my house and stole a leg of beef.

I went to Taffy's house, Taffy wasn't home,

Taffy was at my house and stole a knuckle bone.

Yet another version runs:

Taffy was a Welshman, Taffy was a thief,

Taffy came to my house and stole a leg of beef.

I went to Taffy's house, Taffy was in bed,

I took a marrow bone and hit him on the head.

Another ^[1]:

Taffy was a Welshman, and Taffy was a thief,

Taffy came to my house and stole a bit of beef;

I went to Taffy's house, Taffy wasn't at home;

Taffy came to my house and stole a marrow bone.

I went to Taffy's house; Taffy was in bed;

I took up the marrow bone and beat about his head

A slightly ruder version goes:

Taffy was a Welshman, Taffy was a cheat,

Taffy came to my house, and pissed upon the seat,

I went to Taffy's house, Taffy was in bed,

So I climbed in through the window, and kicked him in the head.

The rhyme was parodied by Alun Rhys.^{[citation needed]}

[edit] References

• Henricus Drury, Arundines Cami (1841)