The Mudcat Café TM
Thread #78210   Message #3348674
Posted By: GUEST,Songbob
09-May-12 - 10:53 AM
Thread Name: Three Black Crows
Subject: RE: Three Black Crows
I learned this song (the Three Craws, not the Ravens versions) from Lani Herrmann, and she sang a verse that I am not sure I got right in my memory:

The First Craw got drunk enough to daw
Drunk enough to daw... etc.

Now, trying to transliterate my imperfect memory of the Scots' dialect means I probably have that wrong, but I don't know what is should be, and I'm curious. Is it "drunk enough to" or "drunken upta" (whatever that means) or something else entirely? And what does the whole thing mean? Drunk enough to die? But I thought "die" in broad Scots was "dee," so why "daw" (or even "dah," since it could be that).

So, what's the line and what's it mean?

Bob Clayton