The Mudcat Café TM
Thread #9515   Message #1095016
Posted By: GUEST,Alistair from NE Aberdeenshire
17-Jan-04 - 03:44 PM
Thread Name: Origins: The Barnyards of Delgaty
Subject: RE: barnyards of delgaty
As one who's Uncle worked at The Barnyards of Delgaty, who's Dad was a farmworker in NE Aberdeenshire back in the 30's it is delightful to see such a Worldwide interest in a Cornkister.

The line Jean Scott has nothing to do with sex (one-track mind there). It translates like this.

Its lang Jean Scott that maks ma bed (Tall Jean Scott makes my bed)
You can see the marks upon my shins (As it says)
For she's the coorse ill-trickit Jaud (She's a bad and very naughty and worthless woman)
That fills my bed wi Prickly whins (She fills my bed with sprigs of gorse bushes)

*Gorse is a very prickly shrub and if it was in your bed you'd scratch your legs as you got in*

Brose is made with ground oatmeal and boiling water. Cheap and the staple diet of the farm-worker. If he was lucky there would be a splash of milk to go in it. Think of watery gruel and you get the picture. Then you just have to go out and work a 12-hour day in all weathers on such a diet.

*Here Meg, the kitchen maid, has made the brose but as she doesn't see eye to eye with the singer she only gives him a small serving and includes plenty of the liquid part of the brose rather than a spoonful of the meal.

Meg McPherson maks my brose (Makes my brose)
An her an me we canna gree (We simply don't get along)
First a mote and syne a knot (First a small piece and then a lump)
An aye the ither jilp o' bree (and always another spoonful of the liquid)