Lyr Add: Yellow's on the Broom (parody)

Subject: Yellow On The Broom: New Version
From: Calach
Date: 28 Oct 00 - 01:10 PM

Here's a sort of parody on "Yellow's On The Broom". It started life as a parody for Max Tone, but sort of got into being a modern social commentary.
Tell me what you think....

Yellow's On The Broom (That's A Laugh!)
(By A Modern "Tinker")

My Da' would mention "Auld Times" an' we would sit an' yawn.
An' he'd talk aboot the caravans that mum an' him went on.
He'd wax lyrical on tinkerin' an' the boatle would gan roon
Then he'd mumble incoherently about "the yellow's on the broom".

When the yellow's on the broom, when the yellow's on the broom,
(Last line of verse)
When the yellow's on the broom.

He'd say that times were better then, when 'Tinkers' knew their place
But I can mind being dragged along, an' it just wisnae the case
An' his health has ta'en a better turn, since he went an' settled doon
But still he reminiscences about "the yellow's on the broom"

Chorus

I remember in Blairgowrie, us pickin' berries there
And a' the adults gettin' drunk, an' gie'ing us not a care
Us kids would huddle feared an' cauld, under a scary moon
An' our parents lyin' comatose, near the yellow's on the broom

Chorus

He'll tell his 'scaldie' grandkids how the road it is sae grand
That tattie howkin's easy an' it's fun tae work the land.
But the Sega's and Nintendo's would be silent in their room.
For there's nae place there tae plug them in when the yellow's on the broom.

Chorus

When winter time comes in the door, Da's dreams are long forgot
For he'll pit his feet up by the fire and toast his taes up hot.
He'll turn his cable TV on, an' flick the channels roon,
For he kens he'd no miss Baywatch, for ony yellow's on the broom.

Chorus
Yours, Calach.

Subject: RE: Yellow On The Broom: New Version
From: Nynia
Date: 28 Oct 00 - 03:49 PM

Interesting Calach, I wonder what the Stewarts Of Bore (sorry Blair) would make of it? Just now everyone in a position of any influence in Scotish traditonal music seems to believe that the travellers were the saviours of our tradition, and as thus Gods. While I accept their contribution I'm interested to hear other angles such as these.

All the best,

Nynia.

Subject: RE: Yellow On The Broom: New Version
From: GUEST,Ewan McVicar
Date: 29 Oct 00 - 04:07 AM

There is a world of difference between giving credit where credit is due to a group that were and are often insulted and maligned, and treating any mortal as a god. I'm a fan of parody myself, but Calach's song above is more of a new song working off an old one than a parody. The sharpness and quality of observation and characterisation of the lyric suggests that Calach is indeed of traveller stock, but that is not crucial. It reminds me of Jim McLean's angry response in song to another of Adam McNaughtan's well known songs, The Glasgow I Used To Know. As for Nynia's response, it seems to me an over-response. No-one has I think suggested that the travellers kept alive the following : Burns songs, country dance music, fiddle playing, pibroch, work songs, bothy ballads, anything of the wealth of Gaelic tradition, etc, etc. But they did preserve ballad singing and storytelling in a remarkable way. I wonder by the way if Calach has heard Duncan Williamson's own song Yellow On The Broom to a different tune than Adams (Adam used The Female Drummer Boy - so to speak.) Duncan's song has less strength than Adam's but naturally feels closer to a traveller's stance.

Subject: RE: Yellow On The Broom: New Version
From: Max Tone
Date: 29 Oct 00 - 04:55 PM

Nice one, Calach
Ewan's spot on, it's a sang in it's ain richt.
Murder o' the Coonty Doon comin' soon...............
Rob

Subject: RE: Yellow On The Broom: New Version
From: Thyme2dream
Date: 29 Oct 00 - 11:34 PM

It's not really fair for me to comment too much on the song (I'm a bit biased by my unabashed affection for the author:-))but as I look at it a bit closer, it seems to have that trait I think of as almost uniquely Scottish...the ability to take the tragic, or near tragic things in life, and put them side by side in a song with a good belly laugh!

This one turned out really different from the way you started it Ian, but I like!

Max, lookin forward to 'Coonty Doon' parody...even way out here in the middle of Kansas America, that song is done to death (if you'll pardon the pun!!)

Subject: RE: Yellow On The Broom: New Version
From: Max Tone
Date: 30 Oct 00 - 05:33 PM

Calach, Thyme2dream,

Parodies sometimes just move away from the initial humour and become social comment; they hardly ever lose their humour, though.
I've given up correcting the Coonty Doon, and posted it HERE

Any more suggestions for commonly murdered sangs that need the treatment from one of us irreverent lot?
Rob

Subject: RE: Yellow On The Broom: New Version
From: Malcolm Douglas
Date: 30 Oct 00 - 08:07 PM

That would be  MURDER o' The COUNTY DOWN

At the risk of making myself unpopular, I've heard  The Last Leviathan   murdered often enough to long for a parody (so long as somebody else sings it!)

Malcolm

Subject: RE: Yellow On The Broom: New Version
From: Max Tone
Date: 31 Oct 00 - 07:02 AM

Cheers for the blickie Malc,

Should have checked my posting/typing!

Sorry, don't know The Last Leviathan, but I'm sure Calach or Tattie Bogle do; if not give us a parody yourself!
I think Jock Stewart's my next victim.
Rob

Subject: RE: Yellow On The Broom: New Version
From: Calach
Date: 31 Oct 00 - 09:51 AM

Thanks for your comments on the above song guys, glad you liked it. Saw you at the meeting Maxtone, but never got a chance to introduce myself, you were out the door too quick! See you on the 18th!

Subject: RE: Yellow On The Broom: New Version
From: Max Tone
Date: 31 Oct 00 - 06:28 PM

Sorry Calach,
My daughter, Alex was Pestering me to go home (I was let down by the babysitter!)
That's life.
Rob

Subject: RE: Yellow On The Broom: New Version
From: Tattie Bogle
Date: 01 Nov 00 - 08:00 PM

Don't know any parodies of the Last Leviathan but Sheena Wellington does a great version of the original song, and as already mentioned on the LL thread, Wolfstone combine both views of whaling by stringing together "The Bonnie Ship the Diamond" with "The Last of the Great Whales" as it is perhaps more popularly known.