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01
[MB] 'The Doctor's Surgery' by Ian Middleton
I wis sittin in the waitin room at the doctor's
surgery,
And a the ither patients seemed tae wint tae sit and die,
For nae a word wis uttered by the ten folk in the room,
They jist sat and glowert at their feet and complimented doom.
But sine the door wis opened and an aul man
wan'ered in,
A chirpy kind o covie, wi a weather beaten skin.
His ee gaed ower the gaitherin, fan he spotted een he kent,
Sine he spoke eneuch for a'body, and is is foo it went.
Oh it's you, asked Willie, foo ye daein? I suppose
I needna speir,
Ye canna jist be daein great or I wouldnae see ye here,
Dash ye, a little droopy-drawert and hingin-luggit, kin,
But is lad's peels and potions will seen pit ye oot o time.
I'm nae jist keepin great mysel, ma guts is
fair green gyte,
There's files I'm caul and shivery, sine I'm near blin wi
sweat,
And toddy hisnae helpit neen, it's near comin oot o ma lugs,
So I'm hopin the doctor gies me, ca's me fire on fower plugs.
Oh fine I ken the cause o it like, it's is lads
gan tae the meen,
And cairtin back diseases fae the craiters up abeen,
You shouldna get inveigled wi the likes o them up there,
Who've nae seen conquered ae disease fan doon they come wi
mair.
Jist think aboot it is wey, fan we fonder, sneeze
and hoast,
A hunkie keeps a puckle germs, but there's aye a puckle lost.
Noo a that germs and microbes, jist consider fa they're a
gaen,
They get raivelled wi the atmosphere and suckit up abeen.
Ach, they winna be content till they get connacht
athegither,
It's them I blame for landins wi the doon turn o the weather,
Onybody wi half an ee would see disaster comin,
If ye skite them rockets ower high, yer sure tae bla the plumbin.
I'm convinced they've daen some damage and there's
plenty folk would scorn,
But I used tae tell the wither, wi the antics o ma corns,
Fan they dirled ye would guarantee the rain wis on the wey,
But noo they're staunin a' the time, even fan it's dry.
And syne this common market disnae dae us muckle
guid,
The shops are a fu o folderals that are a' a foreign breed.
There's jist nae haudin again till't, and not wis jist a start,
Noo I seldom get a diet fan it's a' newfangled ???.
Ach, the world's in an affa kirn, since I wis
but a youth,
For example tak the antics o the fowkies far'er sooth,
If they want a twa-three earrins daen, lord fit a sang and
dance,
They loupin ower a hovercraft and dae them ower in France.
No there wis nithin comin ower folk wi tatties,
milk and meal,
And there wisnae a' this mystery till't fan syne they were
nae weel,
Bit jist a twist in the puddins, and a ghastly dose o salts,
For noo it's tonsil hoses or some ither foreign faults.
Well here we go, it's my turn noo tae get ma
MOT,
The reception lassie tellt me that the new lad's seein tae
me,
I wonner noo far he comes fae for the wey that things are
gan,
He'll surely be like a'thing else, imported fae Japan!
[MB] [laughs] At's an affa sair one! [laughs]
[TM] That's very clever.
[MB] I'll need to look oot some mair o his eens
though, I hiv a tape somewey, if it's nae awa somewey. Aye
sangs and recitations. Aye Ian Middleton's good. Aye. Och
aye.
02
Mearns dis this een.
Oor Fairm Toon
Oh the wife's awa fae hame the nicht, and so
I've jist come roon
Tae tell ye o the ongangs at oor fairm toon.
We hiv a grieve, a second lad, a baillie, and a loon
They're fine folk that feed folk, at oor fairm toon.
We rise up in the mornin, at oor fairm toon
Wi hiv the time for snorin, at oor fairm toon.
We till awa until oor brose, they skirl as they gang doon
There's nae sae things as ham and eggs, at oor fairm toon.
The baillie he's a queer chiel, at oor fairm
toon
He's clartit aye fae heel tae heel, at oor fairm toon
He's bandy-legged, he's pigeon-taed, in fac, he's far fae
soun,
He flaps his lugs tae fleg the craws, at oor fairm toon.
We hae a sonsie kitchie lass, at oor fairm toon,
And for a beauty she would pass, at ony fairm toon.
She maks wir maet, she cleans wir plate,
And her name is Bessie Broon,
The lads they come fae far and near, tae oor fairm toon
We've things for biggin rucks upon, at oor fairm
toon,
They're echteen inches aff the grun, at oor fairm toon.
And ilky een his aye oor pipes, fae the easin tae the foun
The rottans dinna like tae bide, at oor fairm toon.
We've lots o ??? improvements, at oor fairm
toon,
And machinery in every midst, at oor fairm toon.
We've haen a brand new thrashin mill, an engine ca's her roon,
We're daein a' wir ain thrashin noo, at oor fairm toon.
But I dinna think that I'll tell ye mair, aboot
oor fairm toon,
For I see the fairmer's sitting there, fae oor fairm toon.
And dinna bide oot late at nicht, the wife she clas ma croon,
And that's jist foo the rows begin, at oor fairm toon.
[TM] Where did you get that one?
[MB] Well at's, I musta got that affa a Mearns
record. Oor Fairm Toon. He sings at een onywey, John Mearns,
he's died noo tae.
03
'The Weddin o Mcginnis till His Cross-Eyed Pet'
Come and listen tae ma sang and I'll tell ye
o a weddin,
On the thirty first o Julie at the toon o Sleepy Steadin,
A the countryside were there for they didnae need a biddin,
For the waddin o Mcginnis to his cross-eyed pig.
We hid plenty fun and frolic though we didnae
hae a piano,
There wis a fluter wi a nose for a' the earth like a banana,
An a piper wi a chaunter wi a sacred ???,
For the waddin o Mcginnis to his cross-eyed pet.
Toodle-oot gaed the flute, tiddle-iddle gaed
the fiddle,
They gaed reelin oot and in again and up and doon the middle,
They ???? a' roon aboot like sheelicks roon a riddle,
For the waddin o Mcginnis to his cross-eyed pet.
A fiddler he came doon the howe fae Mains o
Butterscottie,
His fiddle it got cloggit up wi butter, glue and putty,
His instrument got paralysed, the fiddler he got dottie,
For the waddin o Mcginnis to his cross-eyed pet.
A soutar wi the timmer leg he danced again demented,
In the middle o a four-some reel he broke it throw and dented,
Sine he mended wi a barra tram and he gaed hame contented,
For the waddin o Mcginnis to his cross-eyed pet.
Syne Mcginnis, he began tae dance, ye niver
seen his marra,
For he mind ye o a grubber dancin wi an iron harra,
Till he cowpit ower the sweetie wife and landed in her barra,
For the waddin o Mcginnis to his cross-eyed pet.
We hid potted heid, and herrin reed, and jeely
on the table,
And a reef o sauty bannocks nearly ??? ower a riddle,
There were roly-polys roon aboot, and hens and ilkae ???,
At the waddin o Mcginnis to his cross-eyed pet.
Syne some gaed East and some gaed West, and
seen the door wis yarkit,
For the din wis like the scalin o an Easter feein market,
But I fell doon an open drain and baith my shins were barkit,
As I gaed hame fae the weddin o my cross-eyed pet.
Toodle-oot gaed the flute, tiddle-iddle gaed
the fiddle,
They gaed reelin oot and in again and up and doon the middle,
They ???? a' roon aboot like sheelicks roon a riddle,
For the waddin o Mcginnis to his cross-eyed pet.
04 [some verses, resung]
Syne Mcginnis he began tae dance, ye niver seen
his marra,
For he mind ye o a grubber dancin wi an iron harra,
Till he cowpit ower the sweetie wife and landed in her barra,
For the waddin o Mcginnis to his cross-eyed pet.
We hid potted heid, and herrin reed, and jeely
on the table,
And a reef o sauty bannocks nearly ??? ower a ???,
There were roly-polys roon aboot, and hens and ilkae ???,
At the waddin o Mcginnis till his cross-eyed pet.
Syne some gaed East and some gaed West, and
seen the door wis yarkit,
For the din wis like the scalin o an Easter feein market,
But I fell doon an open drain and baith my shins were barkit,
As I gaed hameward fae the weddin o my cross-eyed pet.
Toodle-oot gaed the flute, tiddle-iddle gaed
the fiddle,
They gaed reelin oot and in again and up and doon the middle,
They ???? a' roon aboot like sheelicks roon a riddle,
For the waddin o Mcginnis to his cross-eyed pet.
[MB] At's mebbe better! [laughs].
[TM] And where did you come across that one.
[MB] Well, I dinna ken far I get them fae. I
suppose ma brither, because he sang at eens ye see, he sang
a that kin o eens. On Hogmanay nicht! At's fan he sung em.
He'd a drink in. [laughs].
[TM] He wouldn't sing at any other time.
[MB] No, he aye sung at een on Hogmanay nicht,
'The Weddin o Mcginnis.' Mm hmm, aye, ah weel, weel. Whit
time?
'Green Grow the Laurels'
I once had a sweetheart but now I have none,
He's gone and he's left me to weep and to mourn,
He's gone and he's left me, contented I'll be,
For I'll get another far better than he.
Green grow the laurels and sweet falls the dew,
Sorry was I love when I parted with you,
But by our next meeting I'll hope you'll prove true,
And change the green laurels to the violets so blue.
I wrote him a letter all sweet rosy lines,
He sent me a letter all twisted and twined,
You keep your love letters and I will keep mine,
Write tae yer sweethairt and I'll write tae mine.
He passes my window both early and late,
The looks that he gives me, they make my heart break,
The looks that he gives me one thousand times ower,
But he is the sweetheart I once did adore.
I oft times do wonder why young maids love men,
And oft times do wonder why young men love them,
But now by experience I know ought to know,
Young men are deceivers where ever they go.
Green grow the laurels and sweet falls the dew,
Sorry was I love when I parted with you,
But by our next meeting I'll hope you'll prove true,
And change the green laurels to the violets so blue.
[MB] I've nae heard at een for a lang, lang
time. Green grow the laurels
06
[TM] Is that an Irish one?
[MB] I couldnae say. Na. You'd need tae speir
someone if that's an Irish een. Bonny ye ken, I like Irish
ones.
07
It's the same as 'Maggie.'
'Nora'
The violets were scenting the woods, Nora,
Displaying their charms to the leaves,
When I first said I loved only you, Nora,
And you said you loved only me.
The chestnut blooms green through the glade,
Nora,
A robin sang loud from the tree,
When I first said I loved only you, Nora,
And you said you loved only me.
The golden rose daffodils shone, Nora,
And danced in the breeze on the leaves,
When I first said I loved only you, Nora,
And you said you loved only me.
The birds in the trees sang songs, Nora,
Oh happy our chance for to be,
When I first said I loved only you, Nora,
And you said you loved only me.
Our hopes they have never come true, Nora,
Our dreams were never to be,
Since I said I loved only you, Nora,
And you said you loved only me.
[TM] Hang on, is that Dermot O'Brien, not Matt.
Did you get that from his?
[MB] Aye, at's his een, een o his eens. Dermot
O'Brien, a double tape, I jist, I jist dis twa lines at a
time, [laughs], pits it aff and pits it on again.
[TM] That's what you have to do.
08
'The Dyin Ploughboy'
A canny winds were sighin soft,
Around the lonely stable loft,
And through the skylight overhead,
The sunbeams wander round my bed.
But something we ma hairt gaed wrang,
A vessel burst and blood ootsprang,
My days on earth will no be lang,
For noos my time and I mun gang.
The doctor left me in good cheer,
But something tells me death is near,
And while the sun is in the skies,
They lay me doon nae mair tae rise.
I mind tis but a year the morn,
Since I was weel and hairstin corn,
As foo o health and strength and fun,
As ony een among the young.
So fare thee well my dandy fair,
It's you I'll yoke and lows nae mair,
Fareweel my ploo, wi you this hand,
I'll never mair turn ower mair fresh land.
Fareweel my friends and comrades dear,
My voice ye will nae langer hear,
Fareweel unto the setting sun,
My toil is ower my work is done.
I've served my maister weel and true,
My weel daen work I'll nivver rue,
For now for one I maist hae striven,
Tae reach the fairest fields o hivven.
It's weel my maker kens my name,
Will he gie me a welcome hame,
As I in health beneath a foe,
To see me in my mercy Lord.
[TM] Sad one.
[MB] Lovely one though. 'The Dying Ploughboy.'
It's a gey aul een at, an aul, aul een
[TM] Was that one quite popular, a lot of folk….
[MB] Oh aye, but eh, I hinna sung it for a while.
Some o em says, o that's ower sad, that's ower sad. Ye ken.
At's it.
09
[TM] Now you know when you're
down at the folk club and you sing a song, usually in between
the songs you tell a few jokes. Now where do you get all those
jokes. You seem to have an endless supply of them.
[MB] Weel, it's jist, I hear, I hear them, I
hear them sometimes on the TV, and I picks them oot o papers.
[TM] You seem to have a good memory for them.
10
[MB] Aye, oh aye. Are ye wintin a story? [laughs] Is een I
heard on the tv. There's a young lad's auntie gaed missing,
and oh he's in an affa stew aboot it. So he gaed doon tae,
roon tae the bobby and telt the bobby. So the bobby tells
him, och nip roon tae the Grampian and they'll put it ower
the television, six o'clock. So he didnae hae a television
at at time so he gaed doon tae his pals. And he says to him,
oh my auntie's missing and eh, they're puttin it on the tv
the nicht. So I'll come doon at six o'clock and listen till't.
So they're baith sittin listenin, and the tv, and the news
it come on, then the mannie he started aboot the wither. So
he says, there's an anti-cyclone a over Britain. And the lad
turns till his pal and he says, good God, far did she get
hud o the bike! At's a good een.
There's a lady gaed up a hill
one day, and eh, oh she began tae get affa thirsty so she
sa a little hoosie at the top o the brae, and she gaed up
and knockit at the door, and a wife come tae the door, and
she says, oh could she get a drink o watter. Oh the wifie
says I'll gie ye a drinkie milk it's better for ye. So she
filled a little bowlie o milk, so the wifie drank up the milk,
and oh she insisted on fillin it up again, so she drunk it
again. And a little wee piggie it come roon the corner and
ran doon tae the wifie. The wifie says, oh what a friendly
place you'd think that the piggie kent me! Na, the woman says,
it disnae ken you but it kens her bowlie! [laughs]
[TM] Oh that's terrible! [End of side one.]
11
[MB] …. I dinna ken
if you kent, The People's Friend, The People's Journal at
come oot, and em, it, it jist mebbe two pages, jist a stories.
So I kept a them an a ye see, so I jist hiv a look at them
a files afore I ging doon the road and tell them. At een at
wis in the Weekly News wis a good een. At wis a woman gaed
intil a shop and bought a new hat and eh, she wis comin doon
the street and eh, the rain come on, so she jist took her
frock right ower the top o her hat. And walking down the road,
there wis an old man come down, walking too, and he says to
her 'Mercy women, you're showing your backside!'. 'I ken',
she says, 'but it's fifty year aul, and ma hat's brand new!'
[laughs] At wis The Weekly News. Ah dear. Aye.
12
[TM] Did people used to tell riddles and jokes when you were
young, do you remember?
[MB] Oh I dinna think it there wis mony bothered,
no, no I dinna think.
[TM] I was thinking riddles like 'What walks
on four legs in the morning, two in the afternoon, and three
at night', do you know that one?
[MB] No, what's that een?
[TM] That's a person, when they're a baby they're
on four legs, when they're adult they're on two legs, and
when they're old they've got a cane and they're on three legs.
[MB] Three legs! [laughs] Oh I nivver thocht
aboot that noo. Aye, weel, weel. At's, aye.
13
Is is
'The Peel'
De ye min John Peel wi his coat so grey,
It come in a boxie fae Davidson and Kay,
It brocht a nicht aye and a the Sabbath day,
And weel intae Monday mornin.
Aye I min yon Peel, and a good riddance too,
Twas a collie ??? wi a guid whack o blue,
It wis at a ma puddins richt through, through and through,
And left me sair forfochen in the mornin.
Na, na mair o yer peels for me,
Afore I tak anither I would far raither die,
So if yer bowels dinna move jist let them be,
And tak a big senna in the mornin.
For it's twisten and twinin brocht me from my
bed,
A dizzen times at nicht my weary footsteps led,
Through the caul kale yard tae the wee wooden shed,
Where ye'll a hae tae gang the morn's mornin.
[MB] I got at een fae a mannie, nae lang ago.
[TM] Who was that.
[MB] Weel he's died noo, so his, his nieces
gaed me that, gaed me that een. Aye he did some recitations
and things at concerts. We used tae dae them ye see when we
were in the whist club, at wis years ago. There wis whist
clubs in a the villages, and ye gaed back and fore tae them
a. And eh, efter ye played yer whist and haed yer tae ye'd
half an oor o entertainment. So at's fan we did a this things.
[laughs] That wis good. Mmm.
14
[TM] When you used to go to the dances, Mintlaw Station dancing,
what sort of dances was it, eightsome reels or??
[MB] Jist athing, aye, jist a mixture. Mm hmm.
Jist a mixture. Aye.
[TM] Gay Gordons and…
[MB] At's a gey lang time ago, mm hmm, oh aye.
Oh aye, it would be awa in ma twenties, twenties, thirties.
[TM] Would it be accordions and fiddles.
[MB] Aye, they'd good, they'd good bands in
that days ye ken, oh aye there wis aye fower or five in a
band.
[TM] And did they play jigs and reels or did
they play some jazzy things as well.
[MB] Oh no there wisnae the jazzy stuff at at
time, na, jist a the aul kinda things. Are ye back again?
Ken far it come fae.
15
[TM] Was this one popular
in the thirties as well.
[MB] Aye, I think so.
[TM] Probably on old gramophone records or?
[MB] Musta been surely.
'Can I Sleep in Your Barn Tonight Mister'
Can I sleep in your barn tonight mister,
For it's cold lying out on the ground,
And the cold north winds they are whistling,
And I have no place to lie down.
I've got no tobacco or matches,
I am sure I can do you no harm,
I will tell you my story kind mister,
Though it runs through my heart like a storm.
I was three years ago last summer,
I ne'er will forget that sad day,
When a stranger drove out from the city,
For his health said he wanted tae stay.
Now the stranger was fair tall and handsome,
Looked like a man who had wealth,
And he wanted to stop in the country,
And he wanted to stop for his health.
Now my wife said she'd like to be earning,
Something to add to our home,
And she talked till I finally decided,
That the stranger could stay in our home.
That night as I came from the workshop,
Whistling and singing with joy,
I was expecting a kind hearty welcome,
It would be from my wife and my boy.
Nothing there I find but a letter,
Placed in the room on a stand,
And the moment my eyes fell upon it,
I picked it right up in my hand.
Now the note said Stella and the stranger,
Ran away and taken my son,
Just as true there's a God up in heaven,
Just as true this the stranger had done.
[MB] [Cat miaow.] Can I sleep in your barn tonight
mister. Wis ye needin oot [to the cat]. …
[TM] That one?
[MB] Nae idea. At wis oot o a paper I think.
16
'The Roup, 1938'
Fan Lucy Broon retired fae life she wis a crabbit
girnin wife,
She left the hoose mair like a midden and so a public rowp
wis bidden.
The auctioneer, aul squeakin Jock, his voice
wid shame a cra'in cock,
Come doon in very sma persuasion tae be in chairge o the occasion.
The fowk acrued in far and near tae mak a bid
and jine the steer,
And as aul Jock his haimmer birled, foo muckle for this clock
he skirled.
The aul wife's treasures come tae ???, and fegs
they were a sorry sicht,
But aye the auctioneer wid praise them, as high abeen his
heid he'd raise them.
Jock's voice rose higher wi the bids, he sellt
for tippence twa pan lids,
The minister, and richt guid fettle, paid saxpence for a kitchie
kettle.
The doctor bocht a china dog, it hid a leg and
half a lug,
And Lucy's sofa, auld and duddie, a tinker bocht tae bed his
cuddy.
And when the hoose wis taen at last, and a the
steer and stushie past,
Wi oxters foo wi hit the grapple and Jock gaed aff tae what
his thrapple.
[laughs]
[TM] Just like being at a roup isn't it.
[MB] At's it. At's jist like being at a roup,
aye. At wis the roup. Now I dinna ken far I got it fae.
17
'The Gypsy Rover'
The gypsy rover came over the hill,
Down through the valley so shady,
He whistled and sang 'til the greenwood rang,
And he won the heart of a lady.
A-de-do, a-de-do-da-day,
A-de-do, ah-de-day-di,
He whistled and sang till the greenwoods rang,
And he won the heart of a lady.
She left her father's castle gate,
She left her fair young lover,
She left her servants and her estate,
To follow the gypsy rover.
Her father saddled up his fastest steed,
He ranged the valley over,
He sought his daughter at great speed,
And the whistling gypsy rover.
He came at last to a mansion fine,
Down by the river Cladie,
And there was music and there was wine,
For the gypsy and his lady.
He is no gypsy, father dear,
But lord of his lands all over,
I'm going to stay till my dying day,
With the whistling gypsy rover.
[TM] Where did you get that one? No idea?
[MB] [laughs] Nae idea, nae idea. I jist gets
them and writes them oot and at's it. That's the Gypsy Rover.
18
[TM] Now it's a bit of a change.
[MB] 'Red River Valley'
It's a long time you know I've been waitin,
For those words that you never would say,
And now my fond hopes are all leavin,
For they tell me you're going away.
Then come sit by my side if you love me,
Do not hasten to bid me adieu,
And remember the red river valley,
And the friends that once you are true.
When you go to your home across the ocean,
Will you think of those bright sunny hours,
That we spent in the red river valley,
And the love that we made among its flowers.
They tell me from this valley you are goin,
We will miss your blue eyes and your smile,
You have taken the sun shine with you,
It will seem like death for a while.
They will bury me where we have wandered,
Neath a hill where the daffodils grow,
When you're gone from the red river valley,
For I can't live without you I know.
Then come sit by my side if you love me,
Do not hasten to bid me adieu,
And remember the red river valley,
And the friends that once loved you are true.
[TM] Was that popular?
[MB] Oh aye, 'Red River Valley,' at's a very
popular een. Again I dinna ken fa it come fae [laughs] ….And
I nivver had naebody playin tae ma. Files plays tae me ye
see, but files I think the hearin's aff and I hae tae gang
faster [laughs] tae keep up on him. What have ye gotten noo.
19
[TM] Do you prefer to sing
without any accompaniment....
20
[MB] 'A Bunch of Time'
Come all you maidens young and fair,
On you that's blooming in your prime,
Always beware and keep your garden fair,
Let no man steal away your time.
For time it is a precious thing,
And time brings all things to my mind,
Time with all its labours, along with all its joys,
Time brings all things to my mind.
Once I had a bunch of time,
I thought it never would decay,
And came a lusty sailor who chanced to pass my way,
He stole my bunch of time away.
The sailor gave to me a rose,
A rose that never would decay,
He gave it to me to keep me remind him,
Of when he stole my time away.
So come all you maidens young and fair,
On you that's blooming in your prime,
Always beware and keep your garden fair,
Let no man steal away your time.
For time it is a precious thing,
And time brings all things to my mind,
Time with all its labours along with all its joys,
Time, brings all things to our men.
[MB] Now.
[TM] Isn't that the truth.
[MB] Think so [laughs]. We'll say at, we'll
say at. Aye, well, well.
21
[TM] Before the Longside
Club started, did you get out and about and sing much.
[MB] Well, noo and again, noo and again. We,
Harry Legg and me goes out sometimes. I mean, we've been at
the sheltered houses at St Fergus and we've been at Peterhead
and the Ugie, Peterhead. We've been at the Kemnay Home, Newmachar,
sheltered, well it's a home too, Newmachar home. But eh, the
Kemnay one, there wis a lot o poor people in it. They're jist
sitting sleeping all the time. It's an awful life isn't it.
They'd be better deid, sitting like that I would think. Aye.
[TM] So Harry plays a few tunes and you sing
songs.
[MB] Aye, he disnae play tae me. He plays and
I dae a bit, and then he dis a bittie and on like at. mm hmm.
Aye. Och aye, jist keeps ye young. [laughs] Keeps ye young.
Keeps ye going. Uh huh.
22
'A Fleg in the Dark'
Ae nicht, comin hame fae a party it wis wintry
and stormy and dark,
I jumped aff the bus at the end o the road, fan a man steppit
oot o the park,
My hairt stairted thumpin wi terror, I took tae ma heels and
I ran,
The man gaed a shout and followed me up, ma torch slippet
oot o my haund,
Ma legs started wobblin like jeely, the road seemed extroardinary
lang,
The faister I ran, but sae did the man, but I hidnae much
farrer tae gang,
I could aye hear the fitsteps ahin me, as I reached ma front
door wi a sob,
I grapplt and fummeled and nearly passed oot, but I managed
tae turn the door knob,
My mither says, lassie fit ails ye, yer face is as fite as
a sheet!
Oh mither I gasped, there's a man at ma back, and then I started
tae greet,
Did you nae see yer faither, she spiered ma, he took a walk
doon throw the park,
He thocht you'd be glaid o his company, seen the nicht wis
sae stormy and dark,
Wi that he come in jist ahin me, and he treated it a as a
lark,
But as lang as I live, I shall nivver forget that terrible
nicht in the dark.
[MB] [laughs] I dinna ken far at een come fae
either. [laughs] Jist if I see onything I jist picks it up
and at's it. Mmm hm. Aye.
[TM] Sometimes people send you things, give
you songs.
[MB] Well, nae aften, no nae aften. No, no.
But oh, I'd hae a lot mair I suppose ben the hoose, if I liket
tae rake them oot some time. Oh aye. Aye.
[TM] Ah well I'll get you to rake them out sometime
then.
[MB] [laughs] I'll rake them oot some time.
Ah weel, well. Oh there should be some mair that at.
[TM] When did you first start writing songs
down.
[MB] Oh years ago, when I wis young.
[TM] Just songs you heard people sing.
[MB] Mm hm, oh aye, oh aye, jist aye. Well ye
wis jist workin awa on your own and ye jist got a song to
sing ye ken. Mm hm.
[TM] So would some of those songs be the older
songs that… or would they be current songs of the day.
[MB] The eens that I hiv.
[TM] Well the ones that you would have written
down when you were little, when you were young.
[MB] Oh well, jist ony o them ye see, it wis
jist, aye, jist ony o them at wis gan aboot. Of course at
at time ye'd a better memory and ye'd a mined on things, but
the memory's nae use for that noo. [laughs]
[TM] Well you don't seem to have trouble with
the tunes.
[MB] No, no nae trouble wi the tunes. No. Oh
no I ken a the tunes. Mm hm, aye. Ken a the tunes. Uh huh.
[TM] Sometimes it takes people a wee while to
get started, to find the tune again, but you don't you don't
have any trouble at all.
[MB] Oh nae trouble ava na, na, na. No.
23
[TM] Well I better not keep
you back for the rest of the day, and I have to get up to
Macduff. So thank you very much.
[MB] Awa tae Macduff. Mm hmm.
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