Another Scottish mondegreen

Subject: Another Scottish mondegreen
From: GUEST,Jon Bartlett
Date: 14 Apr 19 - 07:49 PM

Long ago, I acquired a Hamish Imlach LP, and a very fine album it was. It contained, among others, "Hairy Mary". The song describes a fella who after a few pints picks up a bird at the Palais and takes her home. Then comes this verse:

Oot cam her mammy, she was goin to the cludgie
Oh, a bucket of shardfish...

I knew that a cludgie was an outside loo, but what was the need for the shardfish? How would they help in the excretory process? And what WERE shardfish, anyway? After consulting various Scots friends and looking it up in Scottish dictionaries, I was none the wiser. Finally, I saw the verse in print:

Oot cam her mammy, she was goin to the cludgie
Oh, I buggered off sharpish...

Jon Bartlett

Subject: RE: Another Scottish mondegreen
From: Jack Campin
Date: 15 Apr 19 - 05:26 AM

What Imlach did to that song was repulsive - self-indulgent macho drunken grunts. It's not surprising people get the words wrong listening to him. Sadly most people think that's the way you have to sing it.

Did Carl MacDougall ever record it himself?

Subject: RE: Another Scottish mondegreen
From: GUEST
Date: 15 Apr 19 - 06:46 AM

https://youtu.be/Zch5NQcmWKI

Subject: RE: Another Scottish mondegreen
From: GUEST
Date: 15 Apr 19 - 09:30 AM

That's a bit po-faced, Jack Campin

Subject: RE: Another Scottish mondegreen
From: GUEST,akenaton
Date: 15 Apr 19 - 09:42 AM

Mr Campin was the original "poe", Hamish was a magnificent entertainer.

Subject: RE: Another Scottish mondegreen
From: John MacKenzie
Date: 15 Apr 19 - 11:36 AM

What Ake said, in triplicate ;)

Subject: RE: Another Scottish mondegreen
From: Johnny J
Date: 15 Apr 19 - 12:03 PM

Here's an early version which sounds quite sedate....

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BMxyP3oEFlE

and the "self-indulgent macho drunken grunts" version especially for Jack

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=040VB06-s1k

Subject: RE: Another Scottish mondegreen
From: GUEST,akenaton
Date: 15 Apr 19 - 01:53 PM

Thanks John, my, things have ferr chinged I remember how everybody loved this self- depreciating Glesca song.....now Hamish would be hounded out of the toon. We have become so fucking precious we don't know how to look into ourselves any longer.
Society is in deep trouble.

Subject: RE: Another Scottish mondegreen
From: GUEST,Sol
Date: 15 Apr 19 - 03:19 PM

"Society is in deep trouble"

Alas, I have to agree. Far too much cotton wool around these days.