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Document 1493

Daddy's Girl

Author(s): Sheila Templeton

Copyright holder(s): Sheila Templeton

Text

You were Alan Ladd. All chiselled
cheekbones and blond hair falling
into your eyes. I had no idea
you towered above him.
You towered over everybody.

At tea time I raced to meet you
my legs carefully bowed.
'Born in the saddle' you'd say
each day, sounding amazed.
We'd saddle up and gallop
through our canyon, chasing
maverick steers around the kitchen
until the ding of a chow wagon triangle
brought us sweaty to the table,
pushing stetsons back, hitching
horses to the old oak dresser.

'Pork an' beans AGAIN'
you'd say, looking down
at brimming plates of broth.
'No, pardner. Tonight,
it's Beans and Pork!'
Slapping our knees in glee
knowing who we were.

Until the night of my first
school Christmas party
where in my new blue silk
dress and butterfly hair slides
suddenly you couldn't see me.

But I always knew you.
You were Alan Ladd.

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APA Style:

Daddy's Girl. 2026. In The Scottish Corpus of Texts & Speech. Glasgow: University of Glasgow. Retrieved 3 February 2026, from http://www.scottishcorpus.ac.uk/document/?documentid=1493.

MLA Style:

"Daddy's Girl." The Scottish Corpus of Texts & Speech. Glasgow: University of Glasgow, 2026. Web. 3 February 2026. http://www.scottishcorpus.ac.uk/document/?documentid=1493.

Chicago Style

The Scottish Corpus of Texts & Speech, s.v., "Daddy's Girl," accessed 3 February 2026, http://www.scottishcorpus.ac.uk/document/?documentid=1493.

If your style guide prefers a single bibliography entry for this resource, we recommend:

The Scottish Corpus of Texts & Speech. 2026. Glasgow: University of Glasgow. http://www.scottishcorpus.ac.uk.

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Information about Document 1493

Daddy's Girl

Text

Text audience

General public
Audience size 1000+

Text details

Method of composition Wordprocessed
Year of composition 2006
Word count 154

Text medium

Book
Newspaper
Periodical/journal
Radio

Text publication details

Published
Part of larger text
Contained in Slow Road Home (Sheila Templeton) / Running Threads (Jim Hughes, Rowena M Love, Michael Malone, Sheila Templeton)

Text setting

Leisure/entertainment
Private/personal

Text type

Poem/song/ballad

Author

Author details

Author id 1075
Forenames Sheila
Surname Templeton
Gender Female
Decade of birth 1940
Educational attainment University
Age left school 18
Upbringing/religious beliefs upbringing Protestantism, now Eastern Yoga meditation practice
Occupation Retired Teacher
Place of birth Aberdeen
Region of birth Aberdeen
Birthplace CSD dialect area Abd
Country of birth Scotland
Place of residence Troon
Region of residence S Ayr
Residence CSD dialect area Ayr
Country of residence Scotland
Father's occupation Railway Engineer / originally farm worker
Father's place of birth Stoneywood
Father's region of birth Aberdeen
Father's birthplace CSD dialect area Abd
Father's country of birth Scotland
Mother's occupation Doctors' Receptionist
Mother's place of birth Dyce
Mother's region of birth Aberdeen
Mother's birthplace CSD dialect area Abd
Mother's country of birth Scotland

Languages

Language Speak Read Write Understand Circumstances
English Yes Yes Yes Yes At work, at home, writing
Scots Yes Yes Yes Yes At home, writing work mainly poetry

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