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01
… free fae every care,
and on the bonnie banks o Don ,
we've met tae pairt nae mair,
Aye and on the bonny banks o Don,
We've met tae pairt nae mair.
02
For ma bothy ballad, I'd
like tae sing 'The Travellin Mill'
A week afore the mull wis due, the mannie gaed
his roonds,
Tae organise a squaddie fae the neighbourin fairm toons,
At chauvin time and hairst time there wis aye a fair bit hash,
But the croonin culmination came the day wi hid a thrash.
The mull came hame the nicht afore it twis mair
nor aften late,
And we plowtered in the gloamin, gettin't levelt aff and set,
But the millert lads powkin here and there got athing sorted
oot,
For a stairt the followin mornin when the men came in aboot.
Fan eens we got her yokit, twas a satisfyin
soun,
On a quiet day the hummin o it, wis heard for miles aroon,
Especially fan an antrin shaef gaed doon wi ?? knot,
And she rifted oot a voomph, as it gaed rummlin ower her throat.
The men fen gaithered in aboot made fourteen
o a crew,
And we're puttin on tae handle grain tae fork an bigg soo',
Ae mill lad did the feedin as the turra?? gaed aroon,
Skitin ile on a the furlin bits tae keep her queelt doon.
The forkers work wis tirin, be it shaves or
be it strae,
But it wisnae near as bad as humphin barley bags a' day,
Half quarter bags were aye designed for little else but graft,
And they left ye shakky legged ere ye humphed them tae the
laft.
The laftie stairs aboot a toon hid aye a naisty
knack,
And were akward tae negotiate wi onything on yer back,
They were narra files and neukit, but by far the biggest fla,
Wis the one in fower gradient that wis common tae them a'.
Fan we'd loused and got wir denner by, the men
fae ither toons,
For critical comparison set aff amon their roonds,
They hawkit and rakit there, gied this and that a powk,
For there's aye great fascination wi the gear o ither fowk.
Wi athin weel taen throw hand, they adjourned
tae the barn,
Tae tak the weicht fae aff their legs and swapped the latest
yarn,
But they hidnae lang tae lichter, for the mull resumed at
een,
And the spralloched up and raxed themsels tae stairt the aifterneen.
Fan the rucks wir by the easin, vermin stairted
spewin oot,
But the jinkit oot a sicht again, wi the bairns in het pursuit,
Little kennin at their hidie-holie widnae laist for lang,
For there's nae a lot o shelter when ye stairt the hindmost
gyang.
Twa wimmen at the lousin kept the feeder weel
supplied,
And a steady stour o grain wis bein bagget up and weighed,
But the mannie in attendance, wi a speculative ee,
Wis girnin aboot quality as weel's the quantity.
When we'd feenished and got roaded, and the
men hid worn awa,
An eerie kinda silence seemed tae settle ower a',
For the cornyard wis nyakit and the founds a strippit clean,
Jist a strae soo and a heap o caff to show she'd ivver been.
The traivellin mullie's lang defunct and fairly
oot a grace,
And ye'll seldom see a gaitherin noo o fowk aboot a place,
For the modren mull's a combine, wi a steerin wheel and gears,
But there's files I think I hear her yet, a ghost o bygone
years.
[Applause.]
03
It's already been sung, I'm
going to sing 'Ma Big Kilmarnock Bunnet' for ma traditional
song.
For it's oh gin I should leave the ploo so I
said to Fairmer Broon,
The money that I hae workit for ye, kindly lay it doon,
For this very day I mean to be in Glesga toon by half past
three,
I've been a o'er lang a gackie in the country.
Wi ma big Kilmarnock Bunnet as I run to catch
the train,
I'll never forget the trick that wis played on me by Sandy
Laing
Says he mind Jock fan ye ging tae the toon speir ye for Katie
Bain, ma loon,
She bides at number achty street in Glesga.'
Now, when I stepped arrived in Glesga toon train
the first young man I met,
I spiered at him quite civilly, Will ye show me achty street?
Says he Dae ye tak me fur a mug, and wi that he got me on
the lug,
Man, says he, ye'll meet yer match in Glesga.
Wi ma big Kilmarnock Bunnet as I run to catch
the train,
I'll never forget the trick that wis played on me by Sandy
Laing
Says he mind Jock fan ye ging tae the toon speir ye for Katie
Bain, ma loon,
She bides at number achty street in Glesga.'
Well I met in wi this bonny lass dressed in
a strippit frock,
She looked at me and sin she says, Hello is that you, Jock?
Yer big Kilmarnock's awfy plum come oan and stand a bottle
o rum,
How lang dive ye intend tae be in Glesga?
Wi ma big Kilmarnock Bunnet as I run to catch
the train,
I'll never forget the trick that wis played on me by Sandy
Laing
Says he mind Jock fan ye ging tae the toon speir ye for Katie
Bain, ma loon,
She bides at number achty street in Glesga.
Well the lassie in the strippit frock her name wis Katie Bain,
As lang as I live I only hope I never see her again,
She left me wi ma breeks and shirt, ma bunnet a besmeart wi
dirt,
And rowin in the muckle streets o Glesca.
Wi ma big Kilmarnock Bunnet as I run to catch
the train,
I'll never forget the trick that wis played on me by Sandy
Laing
Says he mind Jock fan ye ging tae the toon speir ye for Katie
Bain, ma loon,
She bides at number achty street in Glesga.
Oh but that's nae a ma troubles yet, I'd ither
three besides,
The nicht bein dark and me bein drunk I fell intae the Clyde,
When bobbies come they ran me in and swore they sa me jumpin
in,
So I got sixty days in jail in Glesga.
Wi ma big Kilmarnock Bunnet as I run to catch
the train,
I'll never forget the trick that wis played on me by Sandy
Laing
Says he mind Jock fan ye ging tae the toon speir ye for Katie
Bain, ma loon,
She bides at number achty street in Glesga.
[Applause.]
04
I'll sweep the graip, and
bed the kye, tae keep them fine and clean,
And to salute their bonnie tales till they a look like a queen,
I'll gie them bits o ile cake and black treacle on their stra',
And aye a shafe o corn when it comes tae Hogmanay.
And the coggie will be winkin fu afore the ither's
taen,
The piggie in the milkhoose will be lippin foo o ream,
And the ?? they'll taste sweeter than the honey o the bee,
Fan I am eens the orra loon at Mains o Pittendrie.
[forgot the words]
05
There's a fairm toon up in
Cairnie, that's kent baith far and wide,
It's ca'd the hash o Drumdelgie on bonny Deveronside,
The fairmer o yon muckle toon he is baith hard and sair,
For the cauldest day that iver blows, his servants get their
share.
At five o'clock we quickly rise and hurry doon
the stair,
Tae get wir horses corned and fed likewise tae strake their
hair,
Syne aifter workin half an oor, each tae the kitchie goes,
Tae get started tae oor brakfast, which is generally brose.
We've scarcely gotten wir brose weel supped
and gien wir pints a tie,
Fin the grieve he says, come on noo lads ye'll be nae langer
nigh.
At sax o'clock the mulls put on tae gie us a'
stracht work,
It taks fower o us tae mak tae her till ye could ring oor
sark.
Syne eence the watter is pit aff, we hurry up the stair,
Tae get some quarters thro the fan till daylicht dis appear.
The sky begins tae gently lift, and the cloods
begins tae clear,
An the foreman he says, hallo my lads, ye'll be nae langer
here.
It's sax o ye'll gang tae the ploo and twa tae ca the neeps,
An the owsen they'll be aifter ye wi strae rapes roon their
queets.
Fin pittin on the harness and drawin oot tae
yoke,
The drift dang on sae very thick at we were like tae choke,
The frost it being sae very hard, the ploo she widnae go,
Its then wir cairtin days commenced among the frost and snow.
Wir horses bein baith young and sma the shafts
they didnae fill,
And they sometimes nott a tracer tae help them up the hill,
But we will sing wir horses praise, though they be young and
sma,
They fair ootshine the Broadlands eens, that gang sae full
and bra.
But it's fareyeweel, Drumdelgie, for I am gyan
awa,
It's fareyeweel Drumdelgie, yer wintry weather and a',
Aye, fareyeweel Drumdelgie, I'll bid ye a adieu,
And I'll leave ye as I got ye, a maist unceevil crew.
[Applause.]
06
Oh do you see yon high hills
a covered ower wi sna,
They hiv cairted monies a true love and pairt us and a',
So busk bonnie lassie, aye and come awa wi me,
And I'll tak ye tae Glenisla, near bonnie Glenshee
Dae ye see that auld shepherd as he walks alang,
Wi his plaidie buckled roon him and his sheep they graze on,
But busk bonnie lassie, aye and come awa wi me,
And I'll tak ye tae Glenisla, near bonnie Glenshee.
Dae you see a yon soldiers as they march aroon,
Wi their muskets on their shoulders and their broadswords
hinging doon,
But busk bonnie lassie, aye and come awa wi me,
And I'll tak ye tae Glenisla, near bonnie Glenshee.
Dae you see a yon high hills a covered ower
wi sna,
They hae cairted mony a true love and they'll seen pairt us
twa,
So come busk bonnie lassie, aye and come awa wi me,
And I'll tak ye tae Glenisla, near bonnie Glenshee.
[Applause.]
07
Well thanks very much and
good afternoon, ladies and gentlemen. It's nice sittin listenin
tae the singin. I jist hope I dinna look the same wey as I
feel. [Laughs.] I musta eten somethin last nicht. [Laughs.]
A man after ma own heart. Right, Saiturday aifterneen, if
we hidnae been at the Festival, far micht we a been-at the
fitba?
Meldrum Sports
Oh Meldrum Sports! Oh, nivver heard o them.
A roup.
A roup mebbe. A weel, I hiv heard o a roup.
Is onybody…
Tell me something.
Hello.
You were saying some ?? things last night, now
seriously you feel fine when you go to bed, you feel rotten
when you get up. Now all you've done in the mean time is sleep,
so therefore it must be the sleep that makes you feel rotten.
(Laughs, applause). You have to agree with that.
See that noo boys, ye learn somethin every day!
Ye think I'll gae ta ma bed now?
No (??)
Would I? Oh, play safe. Right we'll ging tae
the roup first of a'.
Aul Bandy, he wis roupin oot, his fairmin days
wir deen,
He'd bocht a wee bit hoosie in the toon o Aiberdeen,
Noo a his stock an implements, wir a gan up for sale,
Oh, he'd even sell the moose-trap an the auld slop pail.
The foreman an the second-lad were pit tae wash
the cairts,
And paint them up a' green an reed, an ile up a' the pairts.
The halflin paintit a' the ploos, the harras and the grubber;
Oh the baillie he redd up the nowt wi dandy, kame an scrubber.
Syne on the mornin o the roup, a thing wis spic
an span.
We hid a barrel fu a beer wi plenty beef an ham.
For nae abody wid come tae buy but jist tae get their fill,
Auld Bandy kent the dreel fu weel he'd deen the same himsel.
Noo a' wis ready for a start, a crood hid gaithered
roon,
The auctioneer cried oot for bids, ye couldna hear a soun.
He thocht he'd got them in the mood, by crying oot, Noo, Dixon,
This horse'll dee the work o twa an help oot in the kitchen!
Noo the fairmer fae the Mill o Lyne he come
tae buy a stot,
Fin he saw Bandy's Bell gang by, he set aff at the trot.
She says, Look here, my little man, I'd like tae ken yer game;
Says he, Noo Bell, ye brawly ken, my game its aye the same.
Weel, nae maitter fit his game wis, but it seems
Bell liked it fine,
For noo she is the fairmer's wife, doon at the Mill o Lyne.
But sometimes noo he winners and he files think till himsel
I shoulda stuck tae buyin stots and nae chased Bandy's Bell!
Of coorse, the weemin fowk wir there, tae hae
a wee bit splash;
Afore the aifternoon wis by, they'd bocht up a the trash.
The servant quine fae Pitney's, she wis keen on daen some
bidden;
She got on the dyke tae get mair heicht, but fell back in
the midden.
Oh the Doctor fair enjoyed himsel, he'd drunk
some muckle beer;
His wife made up a lame excuse, she couldna staun the steer.
He waved his haun tae let her ken he'd be wi her aye noo,
But afore he kent, he'd gien an bocht, Auld Bandy's breedin
soo!
Noo but fan the roup wis feenished an the last
chiel left the scene,
Well Auld Bandy he'd a last look roon, a tear come tae his
een;
When doon the road he wandered, far he'd played fin jist a
loon,
But I'm sure his hairt wis heavy, as he set aff tae the toun.
[Applause.]
08
I was enjoying mysel sittin there listenin, but I've been
pushed into it. And I dinna ken what I'm going to sing, I'm
still rackin ma brains thinkin fit I'll sing tae ye. Is there
onybody can name something. 'The Spinning Wheel'. That's Irish,
but never mind, I'll sing it tae ye. I'm Irish tae, never
mind.
Mellow the moonlight, the night is beginning,
Close by the window young Eileen is spinning,
Bent ower the fire her blind grandmother's sitting,
Is crooning and moaning and drowsily knitting.
Eileen Macarra, I hear someone tapping,
Tis the ivy dear mother, against the glass flapping,
Eileen I surely hear somebody sighing,
Tis the sound mother dear of the autumn winds dying.
Merrily, cheerily, noisily whirring,
Swings the wheel, spins the wheel, while the foot stirring,
Spritely and lightly and airily ringing,
Sounds the sweet voice of the young maiden singing.
There's a form at the casement, the form of
her true love,
And he whispers with face bent, I'm waiting on you love,
Get up from your stool, through the lattice step lightly,
And we'll rove in the grove while the moon's shining brightly.
The maid shakes her head, on her lips lays her
finger,
Steals up from the stool, longs to go and yet lingers,
A frightened glance turns to her Rosie grandmother,
With one foot on the stool, spins the wheel with the other.
Merrily, cheerily, noisily whirring,
Swings the wheel, spins the wheel, while the foot stirring,
Spritely and lightly and airily ringing,
Sounds the sweet voice of the young maiden singing.
Lazily, easily, swings now the wheel round,
Slowly and lowly his head the real sound,
Noiseless and light to the lattice above her,
The maid steps and leaps to the arms of her lover.
Slower, and slower, and slower the wheel swings,
Lower and lower, and lower the reel rings,
There's a reel and a tweel, stop their spinning and moving,
Through the grove young lovers by moonlight are roving.
[Applause.]
09
This een's been sung today
already, we missed quite a bit o the singin. This is anither
o Wullie Kemp's famous songs. Aye Idle.
Noo here am I, I'm Jock MacKay and I'm a ne'er
do weel,
I'm idle noo, that's nithin new, for jobs ye canna steel,
The gaffer says tae me one day, I wint a man tae fee,
Weel says I the man, ye'll hae tae wint, I doot it will be
me.
For I nivver work on Monday, Tuesday that's
the same,
Widnesday that's ma holiday noo, Thursday's the wither tae
blame,
Friday's near the end o the wik, there's nae ees o startin
then,
And ye'll nae get a job on a Saiturday noo, till Monday comes
again.
This is fairly-fairly. Weel says he, ging ye
ower tae the cairt shed and get a scythe and a ?? and come
awa wi me and redd roads. So I gaed awa wi the mannie and
began tae cut, but the mannie he stoppit me and said 'Man
o man, that'll nivver dae at a min, at scythe's nae sharp'
So he took the scythe and he sharpened it, and begun tae cut
himsel. Oh, I'll say the mannie wis better than me wi the
scythe. Then he heaved doon the scythe, and he says 'There
ye are noo, that scythe will cut itself'. It wis a hait day,
and fan the mannie gaed awa I kindled ma pipe and sit doon.
The next thing that I kent the mannie he wis kickin the soul
o my beets and says 'get up ye lazy deevil, I didnae fee you
tae lie and sleep there'. I lookit at the mannie and I lookit
at the scythe and I says 'Wheesht min, ye nivver ken fan she'll
start'.
So I'll nivver work on Monday, Tuesday that's
the same,
Widnesday that's ma holiday noo, Thursday's the wither tae
blame,
Friday's near the end o the wik, there's nae ees o startin
then,
And ye'll nae get a job on a Saiturday noo, till Monday comes
again.
It's oft times said, when you're in bed, that
you should close your eyes
Well that may be, but no wi me, I close mine for a rise
Life's far too short for me to work, I want tae hae some fun
The wik is nae richt started fan ye find that it is done.
I min I wis stuck at the square ae day, haudin
up the petrol pump. I wis lookin for a job ye see, fan roon
the corner comes a great Royce-Rolls car. Hoo, hoo, it wis
a beezer o a car. Drives up and oot steps a little mannie
wi plus fowers and a big roon gless in his ee. He comes up
tae me and he says, aye aifter he took oot his gless ee he
said, 'Oh my dear man, could you direct me to Haddo House'
[very 'nicely' spoken]. So I jist held oot ma fit and pointed
doon the road [laughs]. The mannie he leuched and he said
'My dear man, if you can show me a lazier action than that,
I will give you half a sovereign'. So I jist held oot ma pooch
and says 'Pit it in there'. He did it! Have a nicker for bein
ceevil. Fit's ease o workin!
So I'll nivver work on Monday, Tuesday that's
the same,
Widnesday that's ma holiday noo, Thursday's the wither tae
blame,
Friday's near the end o the wik, there's nae ees o startin
then,
And ye'll nae get a job on a Saiturday noo, till Monday comes
again.
[Applause.]
11
Ladies and gentlemen, the
coordinator suggested I could mebbe sing a nice song. I dinna
ken fit kind she's been hearing me singin afore. [Laughs.
This is a relatively new een, it hisnae been sung is aifterneen
but its been well sung and will be well sung durin the weekend.
Jist afore I sing it, Tam wis sayin he wisnae feelin weel
the day. I hinnae been feelin weel for a while. I gaed tae
the doctor the ither day and eh, I said till him 'Hiv ye onything
for a sair heid'. He said 'You could try the Keith Festival'
[laughs, applause]. He's a clever man my doctor, he's been
right up to now. Eh, this song, em, 'Yellow on the Broom'
I ken ye dinna like it, lass, tae winter here
in toon,
For the scaldies aye miscry us and they try tae bring us doon,
And it's hard to raise three bairns in a single flea-box room,
But I'll tak ye on the road again when the yella's on the
broom.
When the yella's on the broom, when the yella's
on the broom,
But I'll tak ye on the road again, when the yella's on the
broom.
The scaldies ca us 'tinker dirt', they sconce
oor bairns at school,
Now fa cares what a scaldie thinks, a scaldie's just a fool,
He's nivver heard the yorlin's sang, nor seen the flax in
bloom,
They're aye a' cooped up in hooses when the yella's on the
broom.
When the yella's on the broom, when the yella's
on the broom,
But I'll tak ye on the road again, when the yella's on the
broom.
Nae sale for pegs nor baskets noo, so just tae
stay alive,
We've had tae work at scaldies jobs, fae nine o'clock till
five,
But we ca nae man oor maister, for we own the world's room,
And we'll bid fareweel tae Brechin, when the yella's on the
broom.
When the yella's on the broom, when the yella's
on the broom,
But I'll tak ye on the road again, when the yella's on the
broom.
I'm longing for the springtime, tae tak the
road eence mair,
Tae the plantin and the pearlin and the berry fields of Blair,
Tae gang oot wir oor ane folk fae a' the country roon,
Fan the gan-aboot folk tak the road and the yella's on the
broom.
When the yella's on the broom, when the yella's
on the broom,
Fan the gan-aboot folk tak the road and the yella's on the
broom.
When the yella's on the broom, when the yella's
on the broom,
I'll tak ye on the road again, when the yella's on the broom.
[Applause.]
12
His 'The Dark Island' been sung the day? 'Dark Island' [tune:
Iain Maclauchlan; lyrics: David Silver]
No.
I'll hae a got at it. Right.
Away to the westward I'm longing to be,
Where the beauty's of heaven and the falls by the sea,
Where the sweet purple heather both fragrant and free,
On a hill top high above the Dark Island.
Oh islea of my childhood I'm dreaming of thee,
When the steamer leaves Oban and passes Tiree,
I'll capture the magic that lingers for me,
When I'm back once more upon the Dark Island.
So gentle the sea breeze that ripples the bay,
Where the stream meets the ocean and young children play,
On a strand of their silver, a welcome each day,
As I'll roam forever more the Dark Island.
True gem of the Hebrides, bathed in the light,
Of the midsummer's dawning that follows the night,
I'll yearn for the cries of the seagulls in flight,
As they circle high above the Dark Island.
Away to the westward I'm longing to be,
Where the beauty's of heaven and the falls by the sea,
Where the sweet purple heather both fragrant and free,
On a hill top high above the Dark Island,
On a hill top high above the Dark Island.
[Applause.]
13
I'll tell you a little story.
Have you ever noticed in the world today, there's a lot of
things that we take for granted. For example, why does a dog
always have a cold nose, or for that matter why does a women
always have a cold elbow. Why are there no dragons or unicorns.
You've never seen a dragon have you? You've never seen a unicorn.
And all the stories there are about dragons and unicorns,
they were about at one time. And why does a man always stand
with his back to the fire? Have you ever noticed that? Well,
I'll tell you the reason why. All of you know about Noah and
the flood. God came down to Noah, and said 'Now look Noah,
I'm going to get rid of most of the folks on the earth, they're
a pretty bad lot, but you and your family you've been living
a good life, so I'll save you. Now look,' he said', here's
the plans, build yourself a boat with a roof on, we'll call
it an ark'. So Noah got going, knocked up his boat, put a
roof on it. Great big thing, according to the plans. And God
came down again and said 'Now look Noah, 'he said', here's
a list of all the birds and beasts of the earth. You must
take one of each, male and female, put them in the ark, save
them from the floods that will be coming'. So Noah looked
down the list. Elephants? Oh well. Lions, tigers, he says,
hey, lions and tigers. What will we feed them on? So God says,
'Well', he said, 'you've got cows'. He says 'Lions and tigers
are only big cats, you can feed them on milk'. So that was
alright. Fleas, flechs? 'Oh yes, fleas and flechs, all the
insects, everything else'. So Noah goes on down the list and
God says, alright about the fishes, they can look after themselves
in the water. So, as it tells you in the Good Book, it started
to rain. Noah was busy trying to get all the animals aboard.
The floods were beginning to come in. Started to get them
on board. Looked round, where were the unicorns, where were
the dragons. Oh, there was the dragons away chasing the unicorns.
Chased after them, the floods were too high, he couldn't catch
them. Course that's the reason there's no dragons or unicorns
about now [laughs]. And the floods rose and the ark just lifted
off the ground and floated on the top of the water. And after
the required forty days and nights it stopped raining. Of
course there was no land to be seen anywhere. Then disaster
struck. Because Noah when he'd built the ark, he'd deviated
a little bit from the plans, he thought well if it's going
to rain it might well be cold. So he built a fireplace into
the ark, and of course as you know a fireplace has to be set
back in a bit, and there was just a single layer between the
back of the fireplace and the water and it sprang a leak.
So Noah called to the dog, and said 'Look, stick your nose
in that hole' So the dog stuck his nose in the hole. The dog's
nose wasn't big enough. And the poor old dog got a cold nose
which persists to this day. So he said to his wife 'put your
elbow in the hole'. So she stuck her elbow in. Still didn't
stop the water. Poor woman' elbow was frozen and it stayed
frozen for ever more. So Noah thought there's only one thing
to do. So he backed up the fireplace. And that's the reason
a man always stands with his back to the fire.
[Applause.]
…. Because he floated a whole company
when the rest of the world was in liquidation [laughs, applause].
I wis winderin if Wullie had lost his voice? It wouldnae be
true. Wullie McKenzie [applause].
14
A request fae Ann Reid.
Fan first I kissed Kirstie lang, lang years
ago,
Noo I'd been aboot eighteen or nineteen or so,
I wis shy and I didnae ken richt fat tae dae,
Fan first I kissed Kirstie, and Kirstie kissed me.
Fan first I kissed Kirstie, it's little a thocht,
Noo the day it wid come when her promise I'd socht,
But the day't we wis mairried didn't I feel a gowk,
When the minister said kiss her, afore a yon fowk.
Fan first I kissed Kirstie, fit wey could I
tell,
That she'd grow tae be dearer tae me than masel,
Oh that ever I'd kiss her, wi tears drappin doon,
Like the nicht that the doctor said, Wull it's a loon.
Fan first I kissed Kirstie, I taen her wi fricht,
And I tried the same game at the fireside last nicht,
There wis mist in her ee, that she couldnae conceal,
As she drappit her search and gaed, Awa ye aul feel.
Fan first I kissed Kirstie lang, lang years
ago,
Noo I'd been aboot eighteen or nineteen or so,
A there's nithin the like o't hae happened tae me ,
Since first I kissed Kirstie, and Kirstie kissed me.
[Applause.]
15
A well this is a sang aboot
Sandy's sark.
Noo Sandy wis a tucked up in his bed and he
cuidnae sleep at a',
He tossed and turned, and he asked his wife tae gie his back
a cla,
Tik aff yer sark says Mary Jane, noo tak it aff said she,
And we will hae a guid look roon, tae see what we can see.
Noo Sandy did her biddin noo, wi mony groans
and pechs,
And when they hid a guid look roon it wis chock-a-block wi
flechs,
There were great big flechs and wee, wee flechs and flechs
ye cuidnae fleg,
Een o them hid it's airm in it's sling, and anither hid a
wooden leg.
Noo anither flech wi a bandaged throat, it wis
a tied up wi cloot,
Wis waitin for an ospital bed tae get it's tonsils oot,
Sine Sandy sa' the queerest sicht that ere he sa for weeks,
A teddy boy flech wi a big shoe horn, wis slippin on its breeks.
Sine a monster flech came on the scene, he towered
abeen them a',
The craitur wis mair like a shark, wi molars like a sa,
He'd been lodgin in auld Sandy's sark, since last time we
hid sna,
And he wis haein a guid look roon, tae see what he could cha.
Noo Sandy's hurdies they were bare, the flech
said, Ooh, I'm lauchin,
And wi a great big runnin jump, he sunk his great big jas
in,
Noo Sandy roared, the beast held on, the puir man he wis squealin,
Till Mary Ann brocht a rollin pin, and sent the monster reelin.
Aye, but Sandy is contented noo, the flechs
he his got rid o,
For they hae left lumps on his back, like mole heaps on a
meadow,
Noo Sandy gets tae sleep at night, likewise his guid wife
Jane,
And the offer o a ?? each night, will nae see flechs again.
[Applause. Can't make out tape- introduction)
16
…. One of the highest
standards of competition that I have ever had to judge. I'm
always delighted to sit in the audience and say this is absolutely
fantastic ??… Now I would like to say something more,
I don't want to keep you here all day or anything like that.
But I'll pop in here at random. Is George here? ... [indistinct].
A lass singing a bothy ballad… Gordon Easton,…but
nevertheless it didn't detract from what was a great performance.
Thank you. George Walker. George ?? better every year. I thought
the songs were very similar. 'The Recruiting Sergeants' and
?? almost too similar. But ?? only criticism, but I thought
that .. was a nice relaxed way and when I saw him get up at
the start of the competition, I thought this is a good start.
?? is in hear somewhere. Nice voice, nice easy way. That's
not easy to effect. ?? not an easy thing to do, I know…and
I thought you did absolutely the right thing when you ?? and
made one up. [indistinct]. John Smith…John…[indistinct].…
People are still making songs and I think we really need this
kind of thing, we need people to come forward and…thanks
very much [applause; tape indistinct mostly].
Joe Aitken…I've never taen tae the wimmen
folk and they've never taen tae me. You know I could almost
believe him. I actually believed the line... [indistinct].
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