Lyr Add: Dame Bruin by Larry Gorman

Subject: Lyr Add: Dame Bruin by Larry Gorman
From: GUEST,M Dixon
Date: 09 Apr 21 - 07:05 PM

Dame Bruin by Larry Gorman

DAME BRUIN
(Larry Gorman)

One night as Dame Bruin she went to her bed
She scarce had retired to her pillow
When the Masculine voice, she heard close to her head
Of Satan - That nasty old fellow,
She spied old King Satan, so hairy and black
With a long claw and foot, and a hump on his back
Saying - Let you be sleeping or be you awake,
You must rise, and come with me, Dame Bruin.

Poor Bruin arose with a terrible yell
She asked - Is that you old King Satan?
He says it is I - You know very well
And this long time for you I've been waiting.
Once to spare you - it was my intent,
But now I see plainly - You'll never repent
And now to take you I am fully bent.
So Hasten! Make ready - Dame Bruin.

Poor Bruin was now in a terrible stew
Her screams they were loud & alarming.
Oh spare me! Oh spare me! For one year or two
Until I have revenge upon Gorman.
With him I've had dealings, he thus did me wrong
He has hurt my feelings, and has made a song.
But I hope I shall catch him before very long
If you will but spare me, King Satan.

He says all your pleadings of no use shall be
To take you this long time I've intended.
But each time I came for you, you had some excuse.
But still you have never repented.
Your time is being up now a long time it's true.
This is the fourth time I have come for you
And out of sheer pity each time let you go.
But I'll spare you no longer Dame Bruin.

She says when I'm there - Shall I live by my trade?
Or shall I have a situation?
No, shovelling brimstone with a short handled spade
He said shall be your occupation.
You will find nothing there but hardship and toil.
Fire, smoke, brimstone, and Kerosene oil,
And cold tar at your nose, shall so furiously boil.
I will not deceive you Dame Bruin.

She says to King Satan where I shall be there
I fear that I shall be lonesome
But as for the shovelling I don't at all care
To the same, I am quite well accustomed.
For I buried Gorman as you read in his song
And six years ago I have buried my young
If it had been proved for the same I'd been hung,
But no one could prove it, said Bruin.

He said if you handle your spade pretty fair
It will be a great deal in your favour
And I'll guarantee all the time you are there
That you never shall want for a Neighbor
And when you all get together you'll have glorious fun,
There'll be Monaghans, streals, yourself and old Dunn.
Each one with a club smashing brimstone
To keep you a' shovelling Dame Bruin.

Now the next time I come, I'll have you to mind
By no one shall I be prevented
In order that you shall be easy to find,
My mark on your rump. I shall print it.
Before I come for you, I'll give the alarm.
Nine days before, there shall be a great storm
So Farewell for this time Dame Bruin.


-collected by Edward D. "Sandy" Ives on Prince Edward Island, Canada in 1957 and 1958 from Mrs. Harold Doyle [8 stanzas in manuscript from husband's collection]; 7 stanzas from Frank O'Holleran [ATL 2163.7]; 1 stanza each from Harry Thompson and Charles Gorman.

Spelling and punctuation are from Ives' transcription from his 1964 book, "Larry Gorman, The Man Who Made The Songs" from the Doyle manuscript.

The story behind the song is that Larry got drunk one night and, when passed out, Dame Bruin convinced friends to help her mock "bury" Larry and covered him in dirt. Larry fought back and wrote the song sharing a bit of rumour in the doing: the woman apparently had had a baby out of wedlock. There seems to be another song referenced to that is no longer remembered.

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Dame Bruin by Larry Gorman
From: cnd
Date: 13 Apr 21 - 10:18 PM

I assume the lines "With him I've had dealings, he thus did me wrong /
He has hurt my feelings, and has made a song." is the line you're referring to about the now-lost song.

"And six years ago I have buried my young / If it had been proved for the same I'd been hung"

I see now what you meant when you said some of these songs got a bit personal. Thanks again for sharing.

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Dame Bruin by Larry Gorman
From: GUEST,Dixon
Date: 14 Apr 21 - 12:02 AM

Yes cnd . . . at least in "Dame Bruin" we are not told who the subject actually was and I would think that information is long-forgotten. Most of his other subjects are named and were easily found by me in the census' of the 1800s and local land/property maps.

Larry's songs often had personal references. The line "Monaghan, streals, yourself and old Dunn." His bro-in-law was a previously married Mormon named Mick Monaghan whom Larry hated and had already songed. Is the word "streal" known in other locales? I've only heard it used by one other woman, a friend's mother from a nearby Western PEI community. It means a woman of loose character. "Old Dunn" is a popular or local reference I don't know.

I have written music for this song and will share it soon.

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Dame Bruin by Larry Gorman
From: GUEST,#
Date: 15 Apr 21 - 03:56 PM

http://www.ulsterscotsacademy.com/scotch-irish/futa/streal.php

Some info on the word streal, but none with the meaning as posted by GUEST,Dixon.

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Dame Bruin by Larry Gorman
From: GUEST,M Dixon
Date: 15 Apr 21 - 04:19 PM

Thank you for the link!

From "Dictionary of Prince Edward Island English" [1988/1996] by T.K. Pratt

Streel/sthreel/streal/etc.
1. A slovenly or untidy woman
2. A woman of low character
this has the Gorman song as a usage source and also the corroboration of anonymous informants.

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Dame Bruin by Larry Gorman
From: Joe Offer
Date: 15 Apr 21 - 05:35 PM

The University of Maine has a fascinating page titled The Life and Songs of Larry Gorman. Be sure to take a look.
-Joe-

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Dame Bruin by Larry Gorman
From: cnd
Date: 15 Apr 21 - 09:56 PM

Hi Joe, it looks like the introductory context of this post got lost in the shuffle somewhere

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From the tools I use to determine such things, I think the first post in this thread is the one that's still first, titled "Lyr Add: Dame Bruin by Larry Gorman" - by M. Dixon, 9 April, 7:05 PM. I have regularized the format of the post, as I do with all posts once I have verified the lyrics - so it looks a bit different from its original appearance. I do my best to add to, but not alter, the original post.
-Joe-

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Dame Bruin by Larry Gorman
From: GUEST,M Dixon
Date: 16 Apr 21 - 09:53 AM

Dame Bruin is a very rare tune and was probably only known and sung in the community in which it was written. When Edward Ives collected it in 1957-8 he could only find four people who knew the song.
This link is for a series of google map images that zoom in on the western part of PEI

https://westernpeisongstersandmusicianeers.blogspot.com/2021/04/western-pei-on-google-maps.html

And here is a graphic showing the small area in which the song was written and collected. "Dame Bruin" was composed by Gorman some time in the 1870s and was collected in the 1950s.

https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-6Dg1YbhQqRE/YHmVPsTV6vI/AAAAAAAAKPA/jpPHnQDVUssnp1Ddbj8B2ds9-0Xhn9XQQCLcBGAsYHQ/s1780/1957-8-Dame%2BB

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Dame Bruin by Larry Gorman
From: GUEST,M Dixon
Date: 23 Apr 21 - 06:35 PM

I have written music for this song and made a recording. A little bit influenced by Leonard Cohen, I think. It may be another song but I can't place it at the moment.

Dame Bruin by Mike Dixon