One usually things of MacColl as being such an intense and serious singer. It's nice to see a little humor from him.


The song is from the Ewan MacColl/Peggy Seeger album titled Bothy Ballads of Scotland. The album notes are available from Smithsonian Folkways. Here are the lyrics from the liner notes.

JOCK HAWK'S ADVENTURES IN GLASGOW

To Glesca toon I went ae nicht to spend my penny fee,
And a bonnie lass she gied consent to bear me company,

CHORUS:
Tum a hi, turn a doo, tum a hi tum day,
Tum a hi, turn a doo, tum a hi tum day.

She kent I was a ploughman chiel, a stranger to the toon,
She said: "That neenda hinder ye to jog it up and doon."

She took off her petticoat and I took off my sark,
And we sweated at the jobbie as we ploughed the muckle park.

We walked up Jamaica Street and doon the Broomielaw,
Where organ lads were playing and fiddlers ane or twa.

We went into a tavern and I ca'd for some gin,
And a' the folk aboot the place, they smiled as we cam' in.

We hadna been in half an hour when in cam' half a score
O' sailor lads and queans sae braw you never saw before.

They drank the malt, they drank the gin, they drank it a' richt free,
And ilka ane aye drank success to the bonnie wee lass and me.

The nicht it passed wi' mirth and sang till day was drawing near,
And then the sailors' factor cried: "All hands on deck appear!"

The lasses gied a parting kiss, the lads they said goodbye,
The hindmost ane as he went oot said: "Jock, you've a' to pay."

They took my watch, they took my chain, my spleuchan and my knife,
I wonder that they didna tak' my little spunk o' life.

I cam' into this world a bairn sae naked and sae bare,
I cam' oot the same frae Glesca and I'll never gang nae mair.

GLOSSARY

Glesca   Glasgow
ae   one
nicht   night
gied   gave
kent   knew
chiel   fellow
toon   town
doon   down
sark   shirt
Broornielaw   district of Glasgow
ane   one
twa   two
ca'd   called
aboot   around
cam'   came
quaens   girls
richt   right
ilka   every
sang   song
factor   foreman
oot   out
spleuchan   tobacco pouch
spunk   bit
bairn   child
sae   so
frae   from
mair   more

Notes: The basic bothy theme servant of the farm-servant exploited by the rich farmer is, in this ballad, altered slightly to become the farm-servant exploited by city-slickers. The general both pattern, however, remains unchanged and, as usual, no pity is allowed to interfere with the humor.