Lyr ADD: Here Comes the Russian Jew (Scottish!)

Subject: Lyr Req: Here Comes the Russian Jew (Scottish!)
From: GUEST,Julie
Date: 07 Jun 23 - 12:18 AM

I’m looking for an unusual Scottish music hall song called “Here Comes the Russian Jew”?

The title is apparently a play on the Gaelic “Ciamar a Tha Sibh Inniu.” It’s about an Aberdeen policeman now stationed in the Highlands who walks his beat, and is constantly greeted with the phrase in question.

I heard it from Ray Fisher in the 1970s but have never come across it in print or recording. For some reason it has stuck in my mind for all these years, and I’d love to find a definitive version.

I can only remember the first verse which goes something like:

My friends ken weel I’m a decent chap
I belong to the Aberdeen force
And though I’m no sae awfully bright
I’m as strong as any horse.
Oh, I look sae weel from heid to heel
In my bonnie coat of blue
And when I cam by the bairns all cry——
“Here comes the Russian Jew”

I’m hoping someone will know the rest of the verses and some background. Thanks in advance!

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Here Comes the Russian Jew (Scottish!)
From: GUEST,RA
Date: 07 Jun 23 - 08:09 AM

The late, great Elizabeth Stewart of Aberdeenshire sings this on her double CD 'Binnorrie', which was released by the Elphinstone Institute some years ago. More information on "Binnorrie" can be found here.

Subject: ADD: Here Comes the Russian Jew
From: Reinhard
Date: 07 Jun 23 - 12:24 PM

THE RUSSIAN JEW

from Elizabeth Stewart: Binnorie

This is an unusual title for rural Aberdeenshire, to say the least, and a very misleading one. The song derives from a macaronic music-hall song of the late nineteenth century, 'Ciamar a tha sibh an diugh?’, which pokes gentle fun at the constable of Highland origin, at one time ubiquitous in central belt police forces, by parodying his English and his relaxed, confident attitude with troublemakers. The original song ends each verse with, ‘Says I, "Ciamar a tha sibh an diugh?’", meaning 'Says I, "How are you today?”’ in Scottish Gaelic. In the North-East Traveller version, this line has been transformed into ‘Says I, "Come a Russian Jew’", or ‘Says, "Here come a Russian Jew"’, closely mimicking the sounds of the original. The first audio recording of Lucy singing ‘The Russian Jew’ was made in 1960 by American folklorist Kenneth Goldstein, who told me about hearing it for the first time from Elizabeth, her sister Jane and their aunt Lucy: ‘They had maybe never even seen a Jew before, and here am I, a Russian Jew from New York, recording this song from Aberdeenshire Travellers!’ G-D 1902 has a different tune and only one verse; for the full song, this time set in Glasgow, see the Kidson Collection, vol. 5, no. 189, Mitchell Library, Glasgow. (G-D 1902; Roud 13562)

from: Up Yon Wide and Lonely Glen, p.209
Elizabeth Stewart, compiled and edited by Alison McMorland

THE RUSSIAN JEW

Oh ma freens kens weel I’m a ceevil chap
I belang tae the Aiberdeen force
An although I’m nae jist affa stoot
I’m as strong as ony horse.

CHORUS (after each verse):
An I look sae weel fae heid tae heel
In ma bonnie coat o blue
An the kids aa cry fin I pass by
Oh here comes a Russian Jew.

Oh the queen she cam tae Aiberdeen
An she swore upon her soul
That I wisna like a man at aa
Bit a great lang telegraph pole.

If I see a man lyin beastly fu
I dinna say, Hoo dae ye do?
But I gie tae him a gey roch shack
An I says, Come a Russian Jew.

There wis a row got up ae nicht
An I wis there very quick
I took a man in ilka han
An I landed them in the nick

An each o them got forty days
An they lookit rather blue
Oh each o them got forty days
Says I, Come a Russian Jew.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Here Comes the Russian Jew (Scottish!)
From: cnd
Date: 07 Jun 23 - 01:27 PM

I feel like I'd understand the song more clearly if it was written in German... here's my attempt at a "translation"? Still missing one word



Oh my friends know well I'm a civil chap
I belong to the Aberdeen force
And although I'm now just half as stout
I'm as strong as any horse

Chorus (after each verse):
And I look so well from head to heel
In my bonnie coat of blue
And the kids cry when I pass by
Oh here comes a Russian Jew.

Oh, the queen she came to Aberdeen
And she swore upon her soul
That I was not like a man at all
But a great long telegraph pole

If I see a man lying extremely ?full?
I do not say, "How do you do?"
But I give to him a very rough shake
And I say, "Come a Russian Jew"

There was a fight, got up at night
And I was there very quick
I took a man in each hand
And I landed them in the jail

And each of them got forty days
And they looked rather blue
Oh, each of them got forty days
Says I, Come a Russian Jew

* * * * *

"ken" apparently is an archaic word meaning "to declare, acknowledge, or confess (something). to teach, direct, or guide (someone)"
"beastly" means very, extremely, or outrageously
The meaning of "gey" depends on the age of the texy: it "went from a specific positive to a general intensifier (like very, originally 'truthfully'; damn, short for damned and you damn well better know the literal meaning of that; and more modern colloquial usages such as wicked)"
"ilka" means each
"nick" usually means to cheat or arrest, but was extended sometimes to mean jail

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Here Comes the Russian Jew (Scottish!)
From: GUEST,Julie
Date: 07 Jun 23 - 02:19 PM

That’s the song! Thank you so much for the full text and the back story which is new to me. I see I got the details reversed: of course, it’s an Aberdeen policeman in the Highlands not the other way round.

I’m now going to look for that audio recording by Lucy Stewart. Hopefully it will be on YouTube but if not I’ll check out the vinyl.

Once again, thank you. I love it!

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Here Comes the Russian Jew (Scottish!)
From: GUEST
Date: 07 Jun 23 - 02:21 PM

Actualiy I wrote it correctly the first time but I was thinking of it in the reverse, casting the policeman as the Highlander. Never mind, it’s all sorted now!

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Here Comes the Russian Jew (Scottish!)
From: GerryM
Date: 07 Jun 23 - 06:48 PM

I think "fu" is, indeed, "full", but specifically full of liquor, that is to say, drunk.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Here Comes the Russian Jew (Scottish!)
From: Tattie Bogle
Date: 07 Jun 23 - 06:56 PM

Exactly so, GerryM!
A few weekends ago was the annual FifeSing Traditional Singing weekend. Among the guests were Elizabeth Stewart’s daughter and granddaughter, and this song was sung!

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Here Comes the Russian Jew (Scottish!)
From: GUEST,RA
Date: 07 Jun 23 - 10:35 PM

There are two recordings of Lucy Stewart singing this song on the Tobar an Dualchais website. Here's the later of the two

Lucy Stewart

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Here Comes the Russian Jew (Scottish!)
From: GUEST,RA
Date: 07 Jun 23 - 10:39 PM

More information here

Subject: RE: Lyr ADD: Here Comes the Russian Jew (Scottish!)
From: GUEST,PMB
Date: 08 Jun 23 - 02:27 AM

Note that the "Russian Jew" became an issue in Scotland (and many other places) just about the apparent time of composition of this song. Following the assassination of Tsar Alexander II in 1881, anti- Jewish riots (pogroms) in the Jewish pale of settlement* led to many Jews emigrating. Most wanted to go to the USA, but lack of money and swindling shippers landed many of them in the UK, often practically destitute. Glasgow rather than Aberdeen would have probably been the main area of potential conflict, but everyone would have known about it. There's a very good book covering this: Be Well, by K E Collins.

I'm not trying to spoil a fun song, but remember the dark background. The Irish got similar treatment after the Famine.

*Observe that the Russians knew very well then that Ukraine, the Baltic lands, Poland, Bessarabia etc weren't part of "Holy Russia", and therefore wouldn't be polluted by Jews.