Some proposed patches for a very good song (allegedly Robert Burns's favorite). The version now on DT has holes in it, and occasionally some strange orthography ("strae and neep"??). The version below squares with the song as sung by Jimmy MacBeath, on Scottish Tradition 1 Tangent TNGM 109 (undated, but designated "MONO," so that the disk postdates the invention of stereo records)/

THE MUCKIN' O' GEORDIE'S BYRE

    Trad. Scots

At a lea-rig auld croft upon the hill,
'Round the nook be Sprottie's Mill,
And a' his life the time to kill
Lived Geordie MacIntyre.
He had a wife as sweir as himsel',
And a daughter as black's Old Nick himsel'.
There were some fun, and awa' the smell
At the muckin' o' Geordie's byre.

For the graip was tint, the besom was deen,
The barra' wouldna' row its leen,
And siccan a sarsies never was seen
At the muckin' o' Geordie's byre.

Now the daughter had to strae her neeps.
The auld wife started to swipe the greep,
But Geordie fell sklite on a rotten neep
At the muckin' o' Geordie's byre.
Ben the greep cam' Geordie's soo
She slid up ahint the coo.
The coo kick-ed oot and Oh, what a ste-ew
At the muckin' o' Geordie's byre

For the Auld wife she was booin' doon.
The soo was kick-ed on the croon
And shoved her heid in the wifie's goon
And ben through Geordie's byre.
The daughter cam' to the barn door
And seein' her mother, let oot a roar.
To the midden she run and fell o'er the boar
At the muckin' o' Geordie's byre.

For the boar he louped the midden dyke
And ower the rigs wi' Geordie's tyke.
They baith ran into a bumbie's bike
At the muckin' o' Geordie's byre.
The cocks and hens began to craw
When biddie astride the soo they saw.
The Postie's [?] sheltie it run awa'
At the muckin' o' Geordie's byre.

Oh a hundred years are passed and mair.
Where Sprotties were, the hill is bare.
The croft's awa' so ye'll see nae mair
At' the muckin' o' Geordie's byre.
His folks are deid and awa' lang syne,
So in case his memory ye should tyne
Just whistle this tune tae keep ye in mind
O' the muckin' o' Geordie's byre.

Singer: Jimmy McBeath, Tangent #109

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-Joe Offer-