Lyr Req: Keith Festival Song? / Festival O Keith

Subject: Lyr Req: Keith Festival Song
From: GUEST,robinia
Date: 18 Feb 10 - 03:36 AM

Typing up a mess of notes, I see that I never figured out all the words to this Keith festival song--especially the crucial opening words of the chorus.   It goes as follows:

Noo we've a' come here together for a friendly gather-round,
   We've music of a mixture that'll shock you to the foun (??)
In a grand old Scotch tradition, be ye auld or cutting teeth,
   We extend a warm welcome tae the festival of Keith.

        Hadda gyang (?) lads and lassies, hadda gyang (?)
        Hae ??? wi' the music if ye can,
        Be it whistle, box or fiddle, bothy ballad or a diddle,
        hadda gyang, lads and lassies, hadda gyang.

Noo there's something here for all of ye that's musically inclined
   with twas and threes and soloists, and whiles the lot combined.
They come from a' the hairts (?) and pairts, frae A (placename?? and Beith ?)
   It's a grand weekend of music at the festival of Keith.

        Hadda........

Noo there's nae discrimination, be ye up or be ye doon,
   be ye business man or scaffer, be a clerk or be a loon,
We dinna care a duchy (?), just so lang's ye can bequeath (?)
   Success is never ending at the festival of Keith.

            Hadda ....

Well, noo if your blood be sluggish an' your circulation poor,
   gin anything be wrong wi' you, we have a ready cure,
In this friendly little toonie, midst the heather hills and heath
   we've a cure for a' your ailments at the festival of Keith.

        Hadda.....

Subject: Lyr Add: FESTIVAL O KEITH
From: GUEST,AT
Date: 19 Feb 10 - 09:24 AM

Hope this helps

The Festival O Keith

Noo we've a' come here thegither for a friendly gather-round,
We hiv music o a mixture that'll shak ye t' the foun
In the gran aul Scotch tradition, be ye aul or cutting teeth,
We extend a warm welcome t' the festival at Keith.

       Hud er gyan,lads and lassies, hud er gyan, hud er gyan
         Mak the hills ring wi the music if ye can,
       Be it fussle, box or fiddle, bothy ballad or a diddle,
       hud er gyan, lads and lassies, hud er gyan.

Noo there's something here for a'body that's musically inclined
there's twa's and three's and soloists, and whiles the lot combined.
They come fae a' the airts and pairts, frae A Etrick t' Dunbeith
It's a grand weekeyne o music at the festival O Keith.

       Hud er gyan........

Noo there's nae discrimination, be ye up or be ye doon,
   be ye business man or scaffie, be ye clerk or orraoon,
We dinna care a docken, jist as lang's ye can bequeath
   Success is never ending at the festival o Keith.

            Hud er gyan ....

So if yer bleed be sluggish or yer circulation poor,
Or fittiver else is wrang wi ye, we hae a ready cure,
In this freenly little toonie, midst the heather hills and heath
Ther's a cure for a' your ailments at the festival o Keith.

       Hud er Gyan.....

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Keith Festival Song? / Festival O Kei
From: robinia
Date: 19 Feb 10 - 05:41 PM

Yes, it does help, though I'd still like to dig a bit more into this "hud er gyan" phrase.   The precise words, that is; they're obviously very colloquial.

Any experts on the Doric here?    I know there're mudcatters up in Scotland.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Keith Festival Song? / Festival O Keith
From: BobKnight
Date: 19 Feb 10 - 07:38 PM

Hud her gan - just means keep it going. But it doesnt translate literally. Hud, means hold, 'er is her, and gyan means going. Lots of Scots phrases don't translate too well into English.

Bye the way, I'm in Aberdeen - so right in the heart of "Doric," country.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Keith Festival Song? / Festival O Kei
From: robinia
Date: 19 Feb 10 - 10:38 PM

Thanks, Bob!   The words do translate literally in a way, and I should have recognized them all. Especially, as a ballad buff, the one that was really throwing me.
"Haud awa' frae me, Willie, haud awa' frae me," Eppie Morrie keeps telling her abductor in a scene I once discussed at some length.   Hold away, keep away, keep going . . . the word makes perfect sense once I recognize it . . . but how wedded we are (I am) to spelling, how hard to "hear" a word I cannot also envision. Am I alone in this?

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Keith Festival Song? / Festival O Keith
From: Effsee
Date: 19 Feb 10 - 11:30 PM

Hi Bob K, I wouldn't say that Aberdeen was quite the heart of Doric country!
The accent changes so much from Aiberdeen through the Blue Toon,..The Broch...Huntly...och michty min...sic a confussion!

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Keith Festival Song? / Festival O Keith
From: BobKnight
Date: 20 Feb 10 - 05:12 AM

WEll... it's where I live - so it's richt in the hairt of doric country tae me. I'm so self-centred!!! :)

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Keith Festival Song? / Festival O Keith
From: GUEST,Dave t
Date: 11 May 10 - 05:52 AM

aye fae sumbidy thats moved fae peterheed to turra to strichen a think av got the fair words o doric drummed inti ma! a could sing the barnyard o belgaty and understand the words by the time a wis 6. nae bad gan your a young een!

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Keith Festival Song? / Festival O Keith
From: Leadfingers
Date: 11 May 10 - 05:59 AM

Its ALL Foreign !!!

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Keith Festival Song? / Festival O Keith
From: Gutcher
Date: 11 May 10 - 09:51 AM

leadfingers--of course it is. Scots is a language in its own right
with a grammer of its own.
The Northeast "spik" is a dialect of Scots with very very few words
that are unique to that area & are not understood by speakers of
Scots.