Origins: Hurdy Gurdy Flowers in Still Game

Subject: Origins: Hurdy Gurdy Flowers in Still Game
From: GUEST,SUSANMACKENZIE
Date: 05 Jun 22 - 05:02 PM

We enjoy a Scottish comedy on Netflix entitled "Still Game." The character Jack often sings to himself "Hurdy Gurdy Flowers in the windae boxes." It is an ironic note, as his character goes from a well cultivated cottage yard with window boxes, to the imposing and impersonal facade of flat windows in the Osprey Heights towers. Some online discussion includes mentions of grandparents singing the song, but I find nothing much about it.

Subject: RE: Origins: Hurdy Gurdy Flowers in Still Game
From: Helen
Date: 05 Jun 22 - 05:45 PM

Hi Susan,

Could you give us some of the lyrics please?

I found a video of some of the songs:

Still Game songs

Subject: RE: Origins: Hurdy Gurdy Flowers in Still Game
From: GUEST
Date: 21 Feb 23 - 08:05 AM

Thanks

Subject: RE: Origins: Hurdy Gurdy Flowers in Still Game
From: Gallus Moll
Date: 21 Feb 23 - 02:12 PM

Think these sa
songs are from Chewin' the Fat*, a comedy sketch show that predated Still Game?
(*had the Lighthouse Keepers and many others in it!!!!)

Subject: RE: Origins: Hurdy Gurdy Flowers in Still Game
From: GUEST,RA
Date: 21 Feb 23 - 04:26 PM

I found this on a Reddit post by someone called Redbeardidscotsman:

"Hurdy Gurdy is an old Glasgow song which came about after the building of the blocks of flats that replaced the slums. Hurdy Gurdy was the wind blowing in the window boxes as they no longer had gardens. There's a few other songs along these lines, I'm sure there's one that goes "ye cannae fling pieces oot a twenty storey flat".

The latter song mentioned is, as all Glaswegians ought to know, Adam McNaughtan's 'Skyscraper Wean'.