Lyr Add: Pirn-Taed Jockie

Subject: ADD: Pirn-Taed Jockie ^^
From: Abby Sale
Date: 23 Dec 00 - 08:23 PM

                                          

Pirn-Taed Jockie
 

(by George Bruce Thomson, the same feller that wrote "M'Ginty's Meal and Ale")

Fin I wis a little wee pirn-tae't loonie, [pigeon-toed lad
I was aye ca'd silly little Jockie; [called
Ae day I wis sittin' on my grannie's window sill
Eatin' sweeties fae a broon paper pyockie, [from; bag
By cam' a lassie an' she offer't me a kiss,
An offer I wid never think o' scornin';
But she bolted wi' my sweeties, dang my heid through the window,
An' my grannie tell't me this neist mornin. -- [next

Ye shid never tie a kettle tull a big dog's tail, [should
Nor tak' a drink o' water fae a bucket or a pail [from
An' it's plain tae un'erstan'in as a bawbee for a bap, [halfpenny; bun
That the reedest cheekit aipples aye are gotten at the tap. [reddest; top
A laddie aince pit snuff in his aul' grannie's tay, [once; put; tea
But he drank it up himsel before he notice't, so they say;
An' I'll wager tippence happeny tho' it's a' I ca' my ain, [call, own
That the nickum never tigget wi' her sneeshin mill again. [rogue; tampered; snuff mill

It's a sair thing love when it hits ye on the weskit [waistcoat
Tho' ye aften think yer getting' on sae fine, man; [often
But och hon-a-rie, tae fin' oot that ye've been coortin' [alas
Anidder lad's lassie a' the time, man.
Oh, love's like a jujube sprinkl't ower wi' sugar, [jelly sweet
But anidder chap changes this tae sooricks a' thegidder; [sorrel, ie sourness
Fin it's a' on ae side like the han'le o' a jug, [handle of
It's caul' kail early in the mornin.' [cold cabbage Fin a man gets a smack fae Cupid's little arra [arrow
It's like hurlin' in a prambulator doon the hill o' Barra; ["flying"
But suppose she winnae hae ye, it's like lyin on the rack, [won't have
Wi' a thoosan maggie-mony-feets crawlin' doon yer back. [centipedes
Oh, it's aye the very biggest sheep that's smort amo' the sna' [smothered; snow
Fin ye're fishing it's the best troot that aye wins awa; [gets away
If there's ae particler lassie that ye think ye'd like tae pet,
That's jist the very ane ye may be sure ye winnae get.

O I aince went tae a ball in the aul toon o' Ribble
An I never saw sae mony bonnie dawties; [darlings
Hooch! up tae the e'en amon marmalid an' tricle, [eyes; treacle
An' as happy as a craw amo' the tatties, [crow, potatoes
There wis big lassies, small lassies, short lassies, tall lassies,
A' kin o' lassies fit tae blind me;
Bit the flo'er o' the ball wis little Polly Proctor,
The lassie I was forc't tae leave behind me.

I aince gaed tae my auntie's wi' a bag o' yallow haddocks, [went; smoked
But the idder loonies laiddert me an' full'd the bag wi' poddicks [boys; beat; frogs
It was sair sair tae thole, I can say withoot a doot, [endure; doubt
But this time I thocht that I wid greet heech oot; [cry right out
For Polly said she'd mairry me an' nae anidder body,
An' fin I kiss't Polly she ne'er gaed a cheep; [made a sound
Bit Polly ran awa wi' a lantern-chaftit sodger. [long-jawed
Wi' a face that wis as yalla as a bilt Swaddish neep. [yellow; boiled; turnip

O ye never saw a rickle like my aul' horse Dobbin [bag of bones
Ye could hing up yer jecket on her hurdies; [haunches
He wis broken in the wind an' fin he begood tae rin [began; run
He rais't a racket like a dizzen hurdy-gurdies. [made a noise
I took 'im tae the mairket and a swappit fair ower [traded for
Wi' a Balaclava chairger fae the sooth, man;
An' I didnae wait the blockin-ale tho' I wis unca dry, [wait for the drink to seal the deal
For fear they might be fin'in' oot the truth, man.

I thocht that I hid fairly deen a smairt trick noo, [really done
But sic a coupin' ower the tail I never did expeck, [overturning
Fae a fraisy aul' mannie wi a roly-poly facie, [gift o the gab
Like a ginge-breed rabbit, wi' a cloot roon's neck. [gingerbread, cloth
For I gaed tae the mairket, an' I swappit, d'ye see,
My ain aul' Dobbin that was blin' on an e'e; [blind in one eye
But I cam fae the mairket as drouthy as a saith, [dry; coalfish
Wi' a fiddle-heedit jigger that was blin' upo' them baith. [long-headed oddity

 

Number 1220 in the Greig~Duncan Folk Song Collection. The tune is given by Thomson as "The Girl I Left Behind Me" for the verse and "The White Cockade" for the chorus. Sung by Adam McNaughtan on _Folk Songs of North-East Scotland – Songs from the Greig~Duncan Folk Song Collection_, Greentrax Recordings, 1995 (It's amazing how much better Thomson's songs sound when you hear them sung by someone who understands them then when you just read them.)

AJS ^^
 

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Pirn-Taed Jockie
From: Håvard
Date: 27 Feb 01 - 11:23 AM

Absolutely brilliant! I had been searching for this one for a while - now I'll just spend the next five years learning to pronounce the words...

Håvard

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Pirn-Taed Jockie
From: GUEST
Date: 13 Mar 12 - 12:32 AM

Get a copy of the lyrics right in front of you. Turn on Jock Duncan, or George Thomson and listen about 25 times without the words, then another 25 with the lyrics right in front of you and I bet you could sing a mean verse or two of it. Have your recorded it Abby?