Monday, October 31, 2011

Lyrics from the October Meeting Songs

As with every year, Elke launched us into October with "Tunes Every Scottish Fiddler Should Know". In this month's collection were three tunes associated with songs, and to satisfy your curiosity, here are the lyrics to them.

The first is "The Barnyards of Delgaty", a song in a long tradition mixing a narrator's braggadocio with complaints about being cheated by a farmer.

As I cam' in by Turra merkit
Turra merkit for tae fee
I met in wi' a fairmer cheil
Fae the Barnyards o' Delgaty 
Chorus (after each verse):
Oh linten addie, toorin addie
Oh linten addie, toorin ay
Oh linten lourin, lourin lourin
The Barnyards o' Delgaty 
He me promised the very best pair
Ever I set my een upon
Fin I got tae the Barnyards
There wis naethin' there but skin and bone 
The auld black horse sat on its rump
The auld fite meer lay on her wime
For a' that I could hup an' crack
She wouldna rise at yokin' time 
Oh aul' Meg Smith, she maks m' brose
And it's wi' her I canna gree
First a knot and syne a mot
And aye anither jelp o' bree 
Fan I gang tae the kirk on Sunday
Mony's the bonnie lassie I see
Sittin' by her faither's side
An' winkin' ower the pews at me 
Noo I can drink an' no be drunk
I can fecht and no be slain
I can sleep wi' anither man's wife
An' aye be welcome tae my win 
But noo m' caunle is brunt oot
It's splutterin' fairly on the wane
Oh fare ye weel, ye Barnyards
Ye'll nivver catch m' here again


The next tune is a mnemonic song, entitled "The Rattling Bog"; each verse grows as one more element is added, much like the more familiar "There's a Hole at the Bottom of the Sea". One version of its words go as follows:
Chorus (sung after every verse):
Ho, ro, the rattlin' bog,
The bog down in the valley-o.
Ho, ro, the rattlin' bog,
The bog down in the valley-o. 
Now in that bog there was a tree,
A rare tree and a rattlin' tree,
And the tree in the bog,
And the bog down in the valley-o. 
Now on that tree there was a branch,
A rare branch and a rattlin' branch,
And the branch on the tree,
And the tree in the bog,
And the bog down in the valley-o. 
Now on that branch there was a limb,
A rare limb and a rattlin' limb,
And the limb on the branch,
And the branch on the tree,
And the tree in the bog,
And the bog down in the valley-o. 
Now on that limb there was a nest,
A rare nest and a rattlin' nest,
And the nest on the limb,
And the limb on the branch,
And the branch on the tree,
And the tree in the bog,
And the bog down in the valley-o. 
Now in that nest there was a bird,
A rare bird and a rattlin' bird,
And the bird in the nest,
And the nest on the limb,
And the limb on the branch,
And the branch on the tree,
And the tree in the bog,
And the bog down in the valley-o. 
Now on that bird there was a feather,
A rare feather and a rattlin' feather,
And the feather on the bird,
And the bird in the nest,
And the nest on the limb,
And the limb on the branch,
And the branch on the tree,
And the tree in the bog,
And the bog down in the valley-o. 
Now on that feather there was a bug,
A rare bug and a rattlin' bug,
And the bug on the feather,
And the feather on the bird,
And the bird in the nest,
And the nest on the limb,
And the limb on the branch,
And the branch on the tree,
And the tree in the bog,
And the bog down in the valley-o.

Finally there's the Hugh S. Roberton song, "Westering Home". This appears to be one of those songs quickly assumed to be "traditional" and subject to copyright violation, leading to a famous court case in the UK. On Mudcat.org, Hugh's grandson Andrew wrote:


[Hugh Roberton was] a Scotsman from Glasgow, and the creator and conductor of the Glagow Orpheus Choir. He was also a prolific composer of choral music, much of it based around traditional Scottish songs and hymn tunes. I was a young teenager at the time of the Vera Lynn case and remember it well. The arguments contained in it illuminate some of the issues raised by your correspondents. There was never a disagreement that the verse of the song was basically "The Muckin' of Geordies Byre" but Hugh S. Roberton definitely wrote the chorus and all of the words. My father, who was his amanuensis at the time, testified to this in court. However the Vera Lynn camp and her recording company produced the royal piper and a couple of other old geezers from the piping field who swore blind that it was all a traditional air. My father always claimed they were given a bung to commit perjury to spare the 'Forces Sweetheart' the humiliation of losing the case. The whole thing divided public opinion right down the middle. Miss Lynn was, of course, a wartime heroine whilst my grandfather was a founder member of the Scottish Independent Labour party, a well known pacifist, socialist and was given the moniker 'The Red Kinight of Clydeside'. Curwen, his publisher were virtually bankrupted by the case and wobbled on for another fifteen years until they were conumed in an asset stripping takeover by the US conglomerate Crowell, Collier Macmillan.

At the risk of reigniting the copyright battle, here are the lyrics!

Chorus (sung after every verse):
Westering home and a song in the air
Light in the eye and it's goodbye to care
Laughter o' love and a welcoming there
Isle of my heart my own one. 
Tell me o' lands of the Orient gay
Speak o' the riches and joys of Cathay
Ay but it's grand to be wakin' at day
To find yourself nearer to Islay. 
Where are the folk like the folk o' the west
Canty and couthie and kindly the best
There I would hie me and there I would rest
At hame wi' my ain folk on Islay.

Monday, October 17, 2011

October 2011 Fiddle Club Jam

We had a great first meeting of the year, and a short jam afterward, and here are the tunes that were played:

High Road to Linton/The Forest Lodge
Smith's a Gallant Fireman/Jesse Smith/The Barrowburn Reel/(unknown)
Iggy & Squiggy/Patterson's General Store/Rannie MacLellan/Cranking Out
Bon nie @ Morn
Loch Torridon/Miss Drummond/Miss Shepherd
Hills of Lorne
The Pearl
The Sailor's Wife/The Cushion Dance/My Wife's a Wanton Wee Thing
Westering Home
Far From Hone
Mrs. MacLeod of Raasay
Tam Lin
Bladen Flats
Tim Horton's/Maggie's Pancakes