The Mudcat Café TM
Thread #35677   Message #4222553
Posted By: GUEST,Kevin W. aka Reynard the Fox on Youtube
15-May-25 - 09:29 AM
Thread Name: Lyr Req: A Gob is a Slob, Wherever He May Be
Subject: RE: Lyr Req: A Gob is a Slob, Wherever He May Be
Thank you Lighter, that's got to be it, it makes perfect sense. The Scottish pronunciation of "blouse" threw me off.

I can add a small detail I noticed yesterday. I listened to four different recordings of Lizzie Higgins singing "Auld Roguie Grey" and she sang a different ending verse in one of the recordings.

On the album "Up and Awa' Wi' the Laverock" (1975) Topic 12TS 260. Recorded by Tony Engle in Lizzie Higgins' home, Aberdeen, January 1975. And again on the album "In Memory of Lizzie Higgins" (2006) Musical Traditions MTCD337/8. Recorded by Peter Hall in the 1970s.

Lizzie's final verse was:

Nine months has passed,
I'd a bairnie on my knee,
Nine months has passed
And the roguie's merried me,
And the end of ma tale aboot
The aul roguie Grey.

In a recording made by John D. Niles in 1986 her final verse was:

Six weeks is passed,
And this maid grew very pale,
Six months is passed
And the roguie's merried me,
And the end of ma tale aboot
The aul roguie Grey.

Not a huge difference, but interesting. In another 1986 recording made by Stephanie Smith Perrin Lizzie went back to singing it like in earlier performances again, with the "bairnie on my knee".

Doris Rougvie's version is distinct from Lizzie's, I assumed it was a cover at first because the Tobar an Dualchais / Kist o Riches website titled it "Auld Roguie Grey". Perhaps just "Roguie" would've been a more fitting title for it.