Lyr Req: the Glesca eskimos

Subject: the Glesca eskimos
From: Lyndi-loo
Date: 03 May 01 - 05:45 AM

Does any one have the lyrics to the Glesca Eskimos? It was written by TS Law in the sixties to protest against American nuclear submarines coming to the Clyde and begins "Hello hello we are the eskimos, hello hello the Glesca eskmos..."

the same writer (I think) also wrote a song called Ghost tigers in the Sky about the Duke of Edinburgh shooting tigers in India while president of the World Wildlife Fund so if anyone knows the words to that also, I'd be grateful

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: the Glesca eskimos
From: Scabby Douglas
Date: 03 May 01 - 06:55 AM

I suspect that occasional Mudcatter Ewan McVicar would be the man for this enquiry

I'll check elsewhere, though..

Cheers SD

Subject: Lyr Add: THE GLASGOW ESKIMOS (T S Law / T Berwick)
From: Susanne (skw)
Date: 03 May 01 - 07:56 PM

I have most of the words (from a tape made some years ago at the 'Glesca Eskimos' revue written by Gordon McCulloch for the Glasgow International Folk Festival - when it still existed ...), but some of them are simply beyond me. Lyndi-loo, maybe if I post what I have you could help me get the rest (or Ewan, who was there?):

THE GLASGOW ESKIMOS
(T. S. Law / Thurso Berwick)

Chorus:
Hullo! Hullo! We are the Eskimos
Hullo! Hullo! The Glasgow Eskimos
We'll get that Yankee Lanin (We'll gaff that nyaff ca'd Lanin?)
And we'll speir him whaur he blows
We are the Glasgow Eskimos

It's up the Clyde came Lanin, that super-duper Yank
He'll get oot a damn sight quicker when we stap him doon the stank
Up tae the neck in sludge and sewage fairly stops your swank
For we are the Glasgow Eskimos

Well it's in an' oot an' up an' doon an' on an' aff the pier
There's cooncillors, collaborators, pimps and profiteers
The ? stooped ? the polis, and the polis stooped ? the queers
We are the Glasgow Eskimos

?
?
?
We are the Glasgow Eskimos

We've been in mony's a rammy, boys, we've been in mony's a tear
We've ?
So get your ? ready, boys, they're comin' up for air
We are the Glasgow Eskimos

Sung to 'Marching Through Georgia'

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: the Glesca eskimos
From: Lyndi-loo
Date: 04 May 01 - 04:08 AM

Thanks Susanne, that's a great help We'll gaff that nyaff ca'd Lanin sounds familiar. I think that is the right line.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: the Glesca eskimos
From: Susanne (skw)
Date: 04 May 01 - 04:44 PM

I think I got these lines from a book, but some didn't tally with what I understood on the tape. I also have an older version on an album of protest songs from the era, but that's even less possible to understand ...

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: the Glesca eskimos
From:
Date: 04 May 01 - 05:46 PM

The world seemed simpler then

It's up the Clyde comes Lanin, a super-duper Yank
But doon a damn sight quicker when we coup him doon the stank
Up tae the neck in sludge and sewage fairly stops your swank
We are the Glesca Eskimos

Hullo! Hullo! We are the Eskimos
Hullo! Hullo! The Glesca Eskimos
We'll gaff that nyaff ca'd Lanin
We'll spear him whaur he blows
We are the Glesca Eskimos

Well it's in an' oot an' up an' doon an' on an' aff the piers
There's cooncillors, collaborators, pimps and profiteers
The hairies jouk the polis, and the polis jouk the queers
We are the Glesca Eskimos

There's dredgers and there's sludgie boats tae keep the river clean
Ye lift yuir haun an pu the chain--ye ken fine whit ah mean
But why in the hell has the Holy Loch been left ootside the scheme?
We are the Glesca Eskimos

We've been in mony a rammy, lads, we've been in mony a tear
We've sortit oot this kind afore, we'll sort them onywhere
So get yuir harpoons ready, he's comin' up for air
We are the Glesca Eskimos

Lanin was the commander of the US submarine "Polaris"

jack

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: the Glesca eskimos
From:
Date: 04 May 01 - 06:06 PM

The memory grows dim.....Polaris may or may not have been a nuclear sub, it was a missile system.

'Proteus' was definitely a sub involved in the affair.

jack

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: the Glesca eskimos
From: Susanne (skw)
Date: 06 May 01 - 05:31 PM

I think that's correct: Polaris was the system installed on the Proteus which was atationed in the Holy Loch. Thanks for the lyrics, jack! I'll check if they tally with what I've got.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: the Glesca eskimos
From: Lyndi-loo
Date: 07 May 01 - 04:06 AM

Thanks a million everyone; just what I needed. Now how about "Ghost tigers in the sky" This starts... There wiz a meetin in the jungle and everyone had came, to sympathize with the tiger who would soon be Royal game

this is sung to the tune of Ghost Riders in the Sky

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: the Glesca eskimos
From: GUEST,Ewan McVicar
Date: 07 May 01 - 12:21 PM

Ghost Tigers was as I recall a Jim MacLean composition, printed in one of the earlier editions of Rebel Ceilidh Songbook. Eskimos was rewritten / updated in the 80s - "We're no husky Ruskis, as Maggie might suppose" and issued on a cassette of the SCND Buskers with accompanying booklet.

However life is too pressured for me to dig out booklets and toil away at typing the words. Ask me again in 2004!