The Mudcat Café TM
Thread #91755   Message #490948
Posted By: Malcolm Douglas
24-Jun-01 - 04:41 PM
Thread Name: Lyr Add: Aikey Brae
Subject: Lyr Add: AIKEY FAIR (from M MacPhee of Macduff)
I'm glad to be reminded about Daisy Chapman's record, as I've been meaning to buy a copy for some time.  Here is Maggie MacPhee's very different version:

AIKEY FAIR
^^

(As sung by Maggie MacPhee of Macduff)

It was on a day o' Aikey Fair,
When a' the hawkers they were there,
Tae sell their cars and buy some mair,
In bonny Aikey Fair.

Oh, the first come in was Jamieson,
And he was steppin' tae his chin,
Wi' an aul' black car that he cam in,
In bonny Aikey Fair.

Oh, the next come in was Jock Munro,
Wi' his aul' lorry that widna go,
He should o' selled it lang ago,
In bonny Aikey Fair.

Oh, there was McDonalds on the green,
Some was dirty and some was clean,
And sic a mess I never seen,
In bonny Aikey Fair.

For the next come in was Jimmy White,
He stripped his jacket and wanted a fight,
And someone kicked him across a dyke,
In bonny Aikey Fair.

For there were heilan' Stewarts, fae Inverness;
The Buchan Stewarts, they tried their best,
They took a drappie wi' the rest,
In bonny Aikey Fair.

For aul' Wick was there himsel',
You'd think that he cam oot o' hell,
He cursed and swore, and started to yell,
In bonny Aikey Fair. *

It was on a Sunday afternoon,
When Aikey Fair was upsidedoon,
There was kickin' and slappin' a' aroon,
In bonny Aikey Fair.

For uncle Henry he was there,
Wi' his sister Sally, withoot the hair.
I looked at her and said nae mair,
ln bonny Aikey Fair.

The next come in was Donald McPhee
He was so drunk, he couldna see,
He had a bairnie on his knee,
In bonny Aikey Fair.

*  (That was my man -laughter!)

Text as given in Peter A. Hall's article Scottish Tinker Songs (Folk Music Journal, vol.3 no.1, 1975: Music of the Travelling People).  The tune was not given, as the song was considered to be a sub-set of The Moss O' Burreldale, a traditional version of which was included in the article with its tune; Maggie MacPhee sang her song "to substantially the same air".  Rod Stradling is perhaps a little unkind to say baldly that "she claimed to have written it herself"; perhaps I should quote Peter Hall's remarks:

"Maggie MacPhee of Macduff is one of those singers who impress their own creative personality upon the songs and as well as composing complete pieces a large number of her traditional songs have been remodelled.  It says much for her skill and perfect feel for the tradition that it is virtually impossible to detect her contributions, indeed she herself finds it difficult to remember those parts that are of her own making... "

Her words are so different from those of Daisy Chapman's set that a claim to composition might well be justified; perhaps Rod didn't look up the article.  At this point, things get a bit confusing.  Rod Stradling credits George Morris as writer, and refers to a specific recording; the Beltona Discography isn't available yet, so I can't add to that, though it should be noted that Peter Hall also refers to a recording (in this case by Willie Kemp, and probably also on Beltona) as the source for the version of The Moss O' Burreldale later recorded by Jimmy MacBeath (Wild Rover No More, Topic Records 12T173, 1967).  This song was indeed written by George Morris, though he based it on a traditional song, a version of which Hall quotes; it is a quite different text from Morris's.  We actually seem to be looking at four distinct, though closely related songs here; The Moss O' Burreldale, a traditional song and a rewrite by George Morris, quickly taken up by traditional singers such as Jimmy MacBeath and Davie Stewart; Aikey Brae, a song written by George Morris and possibly based on a traditional predecessor such as Moss; and Aikey Fair as sung by Ms. MacPhee, which could be based on any, or none, of the preceding!

I've made a midi from the notation given with the traditional set of The Moss O' Burreldale referred to above; until it gets to the  Mudcat Midi Pages,  it can be heard via the  South Riding Folk Network site:

The Moss O' Burreldale/ Aikey Fair

Malcolm