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09 Apr 01 - 02:44 PM (#436558) Subject: Lyr Add: THE JEELIE PIECE SONG (SKYSCRAPER WEAN) From: GUEST,Landlady's Daughter Hi, I'm trying to fill in some gaps with regard to this wonderful high-rise housing protest song; I'm not sure what the correct spelling of Adam's last name is, what year the song was written, and whether the tune is composed or traditional; the tune sounds familiar to me. And is there an available recording? Pretty specific stuff but please help! Height Starvation Song or Jeelie Piece Song Moving into a subsidized 20-story high-rise building can be a mixed blessing as is suggested in this 1970's song from Scotland. Here, the high-rise children are lamenting the fact that their mothers can no longer toss them sandwiches or "pieces" from the balcony for lunch or snacks as they used to do in the traditional backyard tenements. This song, composed by urban poet and teacher Adam McNaughtan(?), is said to be still popular back in Glasgow. Words by Adam McNaughtan? ©? Recorded by Celia Fisher on Tune: Traditional? THE JEELIE PIECE SONG (SKYSCRAPER WEAN) (Adam McNaughtan) I'm a skyscraper wean, I live on the nineteenth flair, But I'm no gaun oot to play ony mair, Since we moved to Castlemilk, I'm wasting away, 'Cause I'm getting one less meal every day. O ye cannae fling pieces oot a twenty-story flat, Seven-hundred hungry weans will testify to that, If it's butter, cheese or jeely, if the breid is plain or pan, The odds against it reaching earth and ninety-nine to one. On the first day my maw flung out a piece o' Hovis brown. It came skyting oot the winda and went up insteid o' doon, But every twenty-seven hours it comes back into sight, 'Cause my piece went into orbit and became a satellite. One the second day my maw flung me a piece oot once again. It went and hit the pilot in a fast, low-flying plane. He scraped it off his goggles, shouting through the intercom: `The Clydeside Reds have got me wi' a breid-and-jeely bomb!' One the third day my maw thought she would try another throw. The Salvation Army band was staunin' doon below. `ONWARD, CHRISTIAN SOLDIERS' was the piece they should have played, But the oompah-man was playing a piece-on-marmalade. We've wrote away tae Oxfam to try and get some aid, And a' the weans in Castlemilk have formed a ``Piece'' brigade; We're going to march to George's Square, demanding civil rights, Like `Nae Mair Hooses Over Piece-Flinging Height!' @Scots @food filename[ JEELIEPC Tune file : JEELIEPC
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09 Apr 01 - 02:50 PM (#436563) Subject: RE: MORE INFO:Height Starvation Song From: Murray MacLeod Adam McNaughtAN, and recorded by CILLA Fisher. A good song in its day. Murray |
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09 Apr 01 - 03:27 PM (#436602) Subject: ADD Correction to DT From: GUEST,Landlady's Daughter Thanks, Murray. Do you remember what Cilla's recording was called? I believe it was by herself and her husband? Is this the same recording as Kids Alive by Crooked Jack? It's so hard to tell from where I am sitting... |
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10 Apr 01 - 04:59 AM (#437179) Subject: RE: MORE INFO:Height Starvation Song From: GUEST,Duart Dear Landlady's daughter, Adam McNaughtan was an schoolteacher of English in Glasgow in the 60's -80's and wrote many good songs of gentle satirical protest of the time.His double CD called "the Words That I Used To Know" is out on Greentrax label catalogue number CDTRAX 195D. A specialist record store could get it for you or it might be available online, it's worth obtaining. |
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10 Apr 01 - 10:00 AM (#437300) Subject: RE: MORE INFO:Height Starvation Song From: GUEST,Scabby Doug AT work Adam is still singing - now runs his own bookshop in Glasgow. Great songwriter - "Cholesterol" and " Yellow on the Broom", "Where is the Glasgow" - to name just a few... Also "Hamlet" - to the tune of "The Mason's Apron" I believe he *may* be coming to sing at our club in June - Milton of Campsie, near Glasgow. Cheers |
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10 Apr 01 - 10:07 AM (#437305) Subject: RE: MORE INFO:Height Starvation Song From: GUEST,Landlady's Daughter Please give Adam my best when you see him. I love the two songs I've seen, "Where is the Glasgow" and "Starvation Weans" although I've never had the pleasure of hearing them sung. I'm still curious about the base for the tune. |
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11 Apr 01 - 02:24 AM (#437899) Subject: RE: MORE INFO:Height Starvation Song From: GUEST,Ewan McVicar The tune is a version of "Does Your Chewing Gum Lose Its Flavour On The Bedpost Overnight?", and old song revitalised by Lonnie Donegan. |
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11 Apr 01 - 06:22 AM (#437941) Subject: RE: MORE INFO:Height Starvation Song From: GUEST,Ewan McVicar Sorry, on reflection the above is not true. The tune draws on a family of tunes that includes My Old Man's A Dustman, Oor Wee School's A Great Wee School, and others. And there is more to the tune than that, but I cannot currently remember / puzzle it out. |
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11 Apr 01 - 10:50 AM (#438073) Subject: RE: MORE INFO:Height Starvation Song From: GUEST,Landlady"s Daughter Thanks, Ewan. I was also reminded of Fred Small's tune for "Big Italian Woman" but I was sure there was something older and moldier; I hadn't thought of "Chewing Gum" but that may also be why it seemed so familiar. Of course, here in the States, all tunes go back to "Sweet Betsey from Pike." Tunes, tunes, tunes! |
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11 Apr 01 - 11:12 AM (#438091) Subject: RE: MORE INFO:Height Starvation Song From: GUEST,Dita (at work) I think Cilla and Artie's version is on the first Singing Kettle LP. love, john. |
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11 Apr 01 - 11:22 AM (#438100) Subject: RE: MORE INFO:Height Starvation Song From: GUEST,Dita (at work) I tell a lie it's on "Singing Kettle 3", as Skyscraper Wean. I just checked the website. www.singingkettle.com love, john. |
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11 Apr 01 - 11:25 AM (#438103) Subject: RE: MORE INFO:Height Starvation Song From: Mrrzy Hey, Guest Ewan, is My Old Man's A Dustman the same as "My Old Man's A Sailor, whaddya think about that?" where what the old man does gets more and more syllables, till you get to cotton-picking finger-licking feather-flicking chicken-plucker, sing that one fast if you dare? I ask in surprise at not finding either in the DT... |
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11 Apr 01 - 12:19 PM (#438146) Subject: RE: MORE INFO:Height Starvation Song From: GUEST Mrrzy, no it's a music hall style song, My old man's a dustman, He wears a dustman's hat He wears "cor-blimey" trousers And he lives in a councl flat the chorus starts something like that, and the verses deal with "comic" escapades on his rounds love, john. |
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11 Apr 01 - 12:21 PM (#438149) Subject: RE: MORE INFO:Height Starvation Song From: GUEST,Dita (at work). Sorry - above from DIta forgeting he's at work. love, john. |