Origins: Cock o' the North

Subject: Lyr Add: COCK O' THE NORTH
From:
Date: 23 Aug 03 - 04:29 PM

Ah, as I got done, my glascots on,
The lad I chance to see.
He wore a feather in his cap,
And tartan on his knee.
A lassie walked there by his side
And as the men did bye,
A lassie looked at everyone
And then I heard her cry.

Oh gie to me the lad you'll see
From Russia to the forks,
The marching lilt the swing of the kilt,
And that's the Cock O' the North.

Now you'll see him down in London Town,
You'll know him by his eyes.
They're proud and free and blue to see,
As any highland skies.

As he swings along he sings a song
That tells you where he's from.
To Scotland's Isles and bens and kyles
He surely must belong.

Say gie to me the lad you'll see
From Russia to the fore,
The marching lilt, the swing of the kilt,
And that's the Cock O' the North.

(slowly)

There's your Irish dan begorrah,
And your English man,
Your dubbie bach from Wales uh
Your Spanish Joe, and your Frenchie beau,
And other kinds of males

The lads they say from USA
are very hard to beat,
And way down under you would wonder

(picks back up)

Of the men you'll meet.



But gie to me the lad you'll see
From Russia to the fore,
The marching lilt, the swing of the kilt,
And that's the Cock O' the North.

Oh the lads who come from Inverness,
From Keffshire or Kintail,
Will meet a lass and soon we'll hear her bonnie helt and file
She'll loo the lad, she'll want him bad
She even join his clan
She tends nae other lad could love her
Like a Highland man.

Say gie to me the lad you'll see
From Russia to the fore,
The marching lilt, the swing of the kilt,
And that's the Cock O' the North.

The handy sandy fine and dandy lad,
The Cock O' the North, hee, the Cock O' the North.

Subject: Lyr Req: Cock o' the North
From: GUEST,threelegsoman
Date: 25 Feb 18 - 06:51 AM

Hi Mudcatters,

Please can you help me with the lyrics to the song "Cock o' the North" as sung by Andy Stewart?

I found lyrics on one site only and while they were mostly correct, there were a number of errors.
I have attempted to correct these, but am not sure if I have them right, so would appreciate it if someone could check the lyrics I have please.


Cock O’ The North (The)

Ah, as I gaed doon, by Glasgow Toon a lad I chance to see.
He wore a feather in his cap, and tartan on his knee.
A lassie walked there by his side and as the men gaed by,
The lassie looked at everyone and then I heard her cry.
      
Oh gie to me the lad you'll see from Russia to the Forth,
The piping lilt the swing of the kilt, and that's the Cock O' the North.

Now you'll see him down in London Town, you'll know him by his eyes.
They're proud and free and blue to see, as any highland skies.
As he swings along he sings a song that tells you where he's from.
To Scotland's Isles and bens and kyles he surely must belong.

Sae gie to me the lad you'll see From Russia to the Forth,
The marching lilt the swing of the kilt, and that's the Cock O' the North.

There's your Irish Dan begorrah, and your English man, your Dubbie bach from Wales
Your Spanish Joe, and your Frenchie beau, and other kinds of males
The lads they say from USA are very hard to beat,
And way down under you would wonder of the men you'll meet.

But gie to me the lad you'll see From Russia to the Forth,
The marching lilt the swing of the kilt, and that's the Cock O' the North.

Oh, the lads who come from Inverness, from Perthshire or Kintyre,
Will meet a lass and soon we'll ha’e her bonnie heart on fire.
She'll loo the lad, she'll want him bad she even join his clan
She kens nae other lad could love her like a Highland man.

Sae gie to me the lad you'll see From Russia to the Forth,
The marching lilt the swing of the kilt, and that's the Cock O' the North.
The handy sandy fine and dandy lad, The Cock O' the North, hee, the Cock O' the North.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Cock o' the North
From: GUEST,Mick Pearce (MCP)
Date: 25 Feb 18 - 10:56 AM

Your transcription is almost correct except for the following:

Chorus should be:
Oh gie to me the lad you'll see from Russia to the Forth
The voice in lilt, the swing o' the kilt, man. that's the Cock O' The North

v1:
Ah, as I gaed doon, by Glasgae Toon a lad I chance to see.

v3:
There's your Irish Dan begorrah, and your English man, your Dovey bach from Wales

v4:
She'll loo the lad, she'll want him bad she'd even join his clan


Mick

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Cock o' the North
From: GUEST,Mick Pearce (MCP)
Date: 25 Feb 18 - 11:03 AM

Forgot to add. A transcription appeared at 23 Aug 03 in the thread: Lyr Add: Cock of the North, a thread really about the Australian The Sailor Home from the Sea (Oh cock of the north with a dream in your hand...).

That transcription contains the above errors and more. This should be the preferred reading for the Andy Stewart song.

Mick

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Cock o' the North
From: GUEST,Gallus Moll
Date: 25 Feb 18 - 11:16 AM

The Australian song is lovely (was it composed by Martin Wyndham Reid (Reed?)-and i know a 'Scottish' version of it with some of the place names altered (eg Loch Broom instead of Broome)

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Cock o' the North
From: GUEST,threelegsoman
Date: 26 Feb 18 - 03:16 AM

Mick Pearce (MCP) thank you very much for your invaluable assistance. I have been asked to upload a video of this song by one of my subscribers, and I like to put the lyrics on-screen. I will now be able to do so with more confidence that they are correct.

Kind regards from the Isle of Man,

Tony (threelegsoman)

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Cock o' the North
From: GUEST
Date: 26 Feb 18 - 10:04 AM

Martyn Wyndham-READ - Gallus Moll - the man himself contributed to that other thread Mick linked to.
The same thread also shows some of the other more dubious Scottish versions!

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Cock o' the North
From: Tattie Bogle
Date: 26 Feb 18 - 10:10 AM

'Twas me there, all uncookied.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Cock o' the North
From: GUEST,Ake
Date: 26 Feb 18 - 03:32 PM

Cock o' the North was the nickname given to the Earls of Huntly..the Gordon family....abbreviated to "Cockalorum" by the Jacobites in the 18th century. The pipe tune is over 300 years old and is the regimental march of the Gordon Highlanders.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Cock o' the North
From: GUEST,threelegsoman
Date: 27 Feb 18 - 04:28 AM

Thanks to Mick, I have now uploaded my own version:
https://youtu.be/YS-_C2Jq2GU

Thanks once more to Mick and Mudcat.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Cock o' the North
From: GUEST
Date: 27 Feb 18 - 11:35 AM

Nathin' worse thin an "uncookied" tattie bogle! It's rite wersh so it is. .

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Cock o' the North
From: Gallus Moll
Date: 27 Feb 18 - 06:16 PM

I don't think the 'scottified' version I knew was in any way dubious -- it led me to the original song / composer, but I still treasure the Scottish version for personal reasons!
I have a friend who is a songwriter and long ago he accepted that songs take on a life of their own once out there in the public domain- a bit like grown up children I guess!
I still get ragin' when I see incorrect youtube renditions of Iain's songs - but most of those people have never actually heard the original!
And - I should not complain since I frequently 'adapt' songs to suit my own vocal range / poor memory etc. - Folk process?!

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Cock o' the North
From: GUEST
Date: 16 Jul 24 - 01:35 PM

"Russia" to the fourth
should be *Ross-shire* to the fourth

Subject: ADD Version: Cock o' the North
From: Joe Offer
Date: 17 Jul 24 - 12:11 AM

I'm going to take the transcription from Threelegsoman (above) and the corrections from Mick Pearce and see if we can come up with a perfected version, such as it is. Be sure to pay attention to the Threlegsoman video, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YS-_C2Jq2GU.

THE COCK O' THE NORTH

Ah, as I gaed doon, by Glasgae Toon a lad I chance to see.
He wore a feather in his cap, and tartan on his knee.
A lassie walked there by his side and as the men gaed by,
The lassie looked at everyone and then I heard her cry.

CHORUS
Oh gie to me the lad you'll see from Ross-shire to the Forth,
The voice in lilt the swing of the kilt, man, that's the Cock O' the North.

There's your Irish Dan begorrah, and your English man, your Dovey bach from Wales
Your Spanish Joe, and your Frenchie beau, and other kinds of males
The lads they say from USA are very hard to beat,
And way Down Under you would wonder at the men you'll meet.

CHORUS Sae gie...

Now you'll see him down in London Town, you'll know him by his eyes.
They're proud and free and blue to see, as any highland skies.
As he swings along he sings a song that tells you where he's from.
To Scotland's Isles and bens and kyles he surely must belong.

CHORUS Sae gie...

Oh, the lads who come from Inverness, from Ross-shire or Kintyre,
Will meet a lass and soon we'll ha’e her bonnie heart on fire.
She'll loo the lad, she'd want him bad she even join his clan
She kens nae other lad could love her like a Highland man.

CHORUS Sae gie....
The handy sandy fine and dandy lad, The Cock O' the North, hee, the Cock O' the North.

---

Any additional corrections? Sorry, but I don't buy "*Ross-shire* to the fourth."

Ross-shire: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ross-shire

Andy Stewart recording: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cztv_5kXja8

Subject: RE: Origins: Cock o' the North
From: GUEST,weerover
Date: 17 Jul 24 - 04:37 AM

Think that should be "Ross-shire to the Forth", i.e. the estuary of the river Forth, Fife to the north and Edinburgh to the south.

Subject: RE: Origins: Cock o' the North
From: GUEST
Date: 17 Jul 24 - 05:46 AM

It is ross-shire just that we say it faster so its heard as "ross sure"