The Mudcat Café TM
Thread #140843 Message #3249495
Posted By: Jim Dixon
02-Nov-11 - 11:08 PM
Thread Name: Lyr Add: Music-hall songs sung by Harry Lauder
Subject: Lyr Add: McGREGOR'S TOAST (Harry Lauder)
My transcription from the recording found at The Cylinder Preservation and Digitization Project, University of California, Santa Barbara:
McGREGOR'S TOAST
As recited by Harry Lauder, 1926
I say, chaps, do ye mind o' me telling ye aboot the weddin' o' Sandy MacNab? Well, I'm gonna tell ye a wee incident that happened at the weddin' that nicht. O' course, ye see, me bein' one o' the principalities o' the weddin', I was asked to say something, and on this particular occasion I said, "The best thing I can do the noo is to gie ye a toast." So efter they filled up my gless once—well, I believe it was filled up twice—o' course, I was a teetotaller because I was only drinkin' ginger cordials—hooever, I looked at ma gless an' I said to the company, I said:
"Here's to the thistle an' shamrock an' rose!
Here's to yer eyes, yer mouth an' yer nose!
Here's to the dew an' a wee drap o' water!
Here's to the moon an' the sun an' the daughter!
Here's to employ and here's to employment!
Here's to enjoy and here's to enjoyment!
Here's to the time when we'll have eight hours a day!
And here's to the rise we deserve in our pay!
Here's to the roar, the whisper an' mutter!
Here's to the margarine, thick as if butter!
Here's to the doo an' the dook an' the dooker!
Here's to the soo an' the sook an' the sooker!
Here's to the sail, the sailor an' skipper!
Here's to the sea, an' the sand an' the tripper!
Here's to the bicycles, turbines an' motors!
Here's to the haddies and here's to the bloaters!
Here's to the bagpipes, the kilt an' the troosers!
Here's to the Templers and here's to the boozers!
Here's to the love an' the dove an' the cuddle!
And here's to the fool that gets fou on the fuddle!
Here's to the gaslight, the firelight an' daylight!
And here's to the coortin' that never needs no light!
Here's to the fella that's coortin' ma sister!
And here's to the thoosands o' times he has kissed her!
Here's to the well and here's to the sink!"
A wee chap settin' over in the corner rose an' said, "Here, MacGregor," he says, "time you would stop because I'm needin' a drink!"
Well, I needn't tell ye that the bottle went roond again, an' then it went roond an' roond an' roond— In fact, I don't know how many times it went roond. (Coughs) I'm telling ye, I've either got the swoopin' cough or the hookin' cough, some o' the two o' them. (Coughs) In fact, I havenae got the better o' the weddin' o' Sandy MacNab yet.
An' so I think the best thing I can do is, the very first time that I'm gonna get married, I'll invite ye all to my weddin'. So the best thing I can do noo, after letting ye ken what happened at the weddin', is just to say so long, an' good nicht the noo, an' ye don't know hoo pleased I'll be te see ye some ither nicht. An' we'll just talk about the same things under the same conditions an' circumstances. An' the meantime, allow me to retire. An' don't forget yer auld favourite Harry. Noo, chaps, for auld lang syne, eh? Ha-ha-ha! Good nicht the noo! Aye, ye're a lot o' boys, mind, I'm telling ye! I don't want to say any more, mind ye! I'm away! Well, good nicht! So long! See ye again!