Origins: The Shearing's Not for You

Subject: The Shearing's not for you
From:
Date: 18 Feb 02 - 01:43 PM

Can anyone supply the words to this lovely tune

Subject: RE: The Shearing's not for you
From: masato sakurai
Date: 18 Feb 02 - 02:02 PM

CLICK HERE

~Masato

Subject: RE: The Shearing's not for you
From: GUEST,MCP
Date: 18 Feb 02 - 02:05 PM

It's in the DT as Bonnie Lassie-O

Mick

Subject: RE: The Shearing's not for you
From: masato sakurai
Date: 18 Feb 02 - 02:22 PM

Thanks, Mick. There're other versions in the DT.

O, THE SHEARING'S NOT FOR YOU

THE SHEARIN'S NAE FOR YOU, MY BONNIE LASSIE O

~Masato

Subject: RE: The Shearing's not for you
From: Malcolm Douglas
Date: 18 Feb 02 - 02:24 PM

Full list; found in the DT through the very useful "Digitrad and Forum Search" on the main Forum Page:

O, THE SHEARING'S NOT FOR YOU
BONNIE LASSIE-O (The Shearing's Nae For You)
THE SHEARIN'S NAE FOR YOU, MY BONNIE LASSIE O

In the Forum:

'The Shearing's not for you' lyrics
The Chocolate's nae fer ye (parodies)
shearin song
Lyrics; The Shearin's Nae For You

Spelling differences can sometimes be a problem; many people omit final -g when transcribing lyrics even when there is no linguistic reason for doing so.  A search for shearin is therefore most effective, though you do have to sort through a fair bit of material.

Subject: RE: The Shearing's not for you
From: Liz the Squeak
Date: 18 Feb 02 - 04:51 PM

Whoo hoo, I made it to a blicky, fame indeed!!!

LTS

Subject: RE: The Shearing's not for you
From: Bat Goddess
Date: 18 Feb 02 - 05:12 PM

There are two separate story lines that aren't always kept in two separate songs that both use the same tune. The "Shearin's Not for You" (and "Will Ye Gang tae Kelvingrove") storyline tells of the encounter between a man (sometimes a soldier) and a woman which leaves her pregnant (and unmarried).

Then there's a couple verses about an unhappily married too young woman (with several young children) to the same tune that I usually put after the 3 short verses of "What's Poor Mary Weeping For" (though I can't take credit for that -- I think the Fisher family did it on an early recording).

What's Poor Mary Weeping For / Bonnie Lassie-O

What's poor Mary weeping for?
Weeping for, weeping for,
What's poor Mary weeping for?
On a cold and a frosty morning.

Because she wants to see her lad,
See her lad, see her lad.
Because she wants to see her lad
On a cold and a frosty morning.

She buckled up her shoes and away she run
Away she run, away she run.
She buckled up her shoes and away she run
On a cold and a frosty morning.


Tak' the buckles fae your shoon, bonnie lassie-o
Tak' the buckles fae your shoon, bonnie lassie-o
Tak' the buckles fae your shoon, for you've married sicca loon
That your dancing days are done, bonnie lassie-o.

Tak' the ribbons fae your hair, bonnie lassie-o
Tak' the ribbons fae your hair, bonnie lassie-o
Tak' the ribbons fae your hair, and cut off your ringlets fair
For you've naught but want and care, bonnie lassie-o.

Tak' the floonces fae your knee, bonnie lassie-o
Tak' the floonces fae your knee, bonnie lassie-o
Tak' the floonces fae your knee, for it's better far for ye
To look ower your bairnies three, bonnie lassie-o.

Subject: RE: The Shearing's not for you
From: Bat Goddess
Date: 18 Feb 02 - 05:14 PM

Anywho, what I meant to say is that some people who have recorded the song (notably Jean Redpath) mixed verses from both storylines further confusing the issue.

Linn

Subject: RE: The Shearing's not for you
From: Scabby Douglas
Date: 19 Feb 02 - 04:25 AM

Bat Goddess:

I'm not sure of your assertion that Jean Redpath "mixed" verses. I'm also a bit confused by the words you quote:

"Tak' the buckles fae your shoon, for you've married sicca loon"

What's the source for those lyrics? They don't ring very authentically. "Sic a loon" looks to a modern eye as if it means "such a madman/lunatic", but "loon" in Scots is simply a "boy" or young man.

Look at the words from another verse "Take the flounces fae yer goon, mak' a frockie for yer loon" -Loon here just means a male child...

I'd be intrigued to hear more on the sources of these lyrics you quote...

Cheers

Steven

Subject: RE: The Shearing's not for you
From: The Walrus at work
Date: 19 Feb 02 - 08:59 AM

Steven,

"...Look at the words from another verse "Take the flounces fae yer goon, mak' a frockie for yer loon" -Loon here just means a male child... "

This line isn't as odd as it seems at first if the child is very young. It appears ir was quite common in pre mid-19th C Europe for a young boy to be kept in skirts until he was "breeched" (I suspect about that same age at a modern child comes out of nappies(daipers)/trainng pants).

Walrus

Subject: RE: The Shearing's not for you
From: Scabby Douglas
Date: 19 Feb 02 - 10:36 AM

Walrus, sorry - I obviously wasn't being very clear..

what I suspect is that someone has constructed a song - quoted by Bat Goddess above out of various other songs - "The shearin's no for you" and "Kelvingrove" and other bits, put it to the tune, and now it's getting quoted as the authentic version.

So - I was (politely) trying to cast doubt on what I suspect is the made-up version, by quoting from it. Yes, I completely agree about the "rightness" of the line about "frockie for your loon" - it was the line about "you've married sicca loon" I don't agree with.

I don't think it means anything. You married such a boy?

The practice of keeping young boys in skirts or dresses was commonplace in Britain until well after the turn of the century (1900).. plenty of old photographs to attest to that.

Cheers

Steven

Subject: RE: The Shearing's not for you
From: weepiper
Date: 19 Feb 02 - 04:17 PM

'Loon' means 'lad' e.g. everything from small boy to strapping 20-something... overheard at a caravan park by an Aberdeenshire man talking to the owner about the wardens, both about 25: "ah, ye've got twa gweed loons there" - 'those are two fine lads'

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: The Shearing's Not for You
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 03 Feb 18 - 01:54 PM

This song was mentioned in a current thread and I've poked around looking at the versions. None of them say what "shearings" is about - is it a noun (person) or a verb (act)?

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: The Shearing's Not for You
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 03 Feb 18 - 01:57 PM

Never mind - I found it. In a different thread.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: The Shearing's Not for You
From: GUEST,akenaton
Date: 04 Feb 18 - 08:31 AM

The Australian song "Castlereagh" alludes to the "shearing" of sheep in Oz.....I have been to many "clippings" here in West Scotland but we always refer to our "shears", the razor sharp scissors which the hand clippers use.....Clipping or shearing both involve the bowing of the back, but the work would be too strenuous for most women.
I have never in my life seen a female shearer, women were sometimes involved in "crogging", or "keeling".
It is much more likely that the shearing in the thread was of corn, which was commonly done by women using hand "heuchs".. not scythes.

Castlereagh
3. I asked a call for shearin' once along the Marthaguy,
    "We shear non-union here," says he, "I call it scab," says I,
    I looked along the shearin' board before I turned to go -
    There were forty bloody scabbies there, a-shearin' in a row.
Josh MacRae 1960 something.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: The Shearing's Not for You
From: GUEST
Date: 04 Feb 18 - 08:36 AM

Sorry, that should be "answered a call"

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: The Shearing's Not for You
From: Dave Hanson
Date: 04 Feb 18 - 02:51 PM

Actually Banjo Pattersons song 'Riding Down The Castlereagh '

I answered a call for shearing once, along the Marthaguy,
We shear non union hear says he, I'd call that scab says I,
I looked along the shearing shed before I turned to go,
There forty bloody Chinamen a shearing in a row.


So it's shift boys shift there isn't the slightest doubt,
It's time to make a move with the leprosy about,
So I saddled up me pony and whistled on me dog,
We made for up the country at the old jig jog.

this is a reference to chinese shears working for a lot less pay than the Aussies, racial predjudice is nowt new.

Dave H

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: The Shearing's Not for You
From: GUEST
Date: 04 Feb 18 - 05:29 PM

I knew the song was by Patterson Dave, but never heard the Chinamen version.
Josh obviously adapted it for 1960's audiences.

Got this as Banjo's original.
3. I asked a cove for shearin' once along the Marthaguy,
    "We shear non-union here," says he, "I call it scab," says I,
    I looked along the shearin' floor before I turned to go -
    There were eight or ten non-union men a-shearin' in a row.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: The Shearing's Not for You
From: Dave Hanson
Date: 05 Feb 18 - 03:14 AM

Just looked it up in ' The Collected Verse of AB Paterson ' first published Angus and Robertson 1921

titled ' A Bushmans Song '

verse 5
I asked a cove for shearin once along the Marthaguy,
We shear non union here says he I call it scab says I,
I looked along the shearin floor before I turned to go,
There were eight or ten dashed chinamen a-shearin in a row.

It was shift boys shift there wasn't the slightest doubt,
It was time to make a shift with the leprosy about

etc etc

my memory was at fault previously.

Dave H

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: The Shearing's Not for You
From: GUEST
Date: 05 Feb 18 - 01:41 PM

I think the "leprosy" comment was aimed at "scab" labour? Not usually a racist insult.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: The Shearing's Not for You
From: Dave Hanson
Date: 05 Feb 18 - 02:40 PM

No it was aimed at the Chinese, you've got to remember it was a very long time ago ,probably 100 years.

Dave H

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: The Shearing's Not for You
From: GUEST,akenaton
Date: 05 Feb 18 - 03:50 PM

Mibees aye....Mibees naw :0)

Sorry forgot my handle on last few posts

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: The Shearing's Not for You
From: Nigel Parsons
Date: 06 Feb 18 - 03:29 AM

Missing from the links at the top of the page:
The Drinkin's not for you
A Mudcat (collective) parody.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: The Shearing's Not for You
From: GUEST,Observer
Date: 06 Feb 18 - 05:57 AM

Always read the leprosy line as Akenaton describes it - It relates to the practice of bringing in non-union labour to break a strike.

Perhaps Dave H thinks that Dirty black-leg Miner is a racist song?
But I doubt it.

We've always sung the song "Castlereagh" and recorded it with the version of the lyrics as I originally heard them sung where that original line of "Banjo" Paterson reworded as:

"I answered a call for shearin once along the Marthaguy,
We shear non union here says he I call it scab says I,
I looked along the shearin shed before I turned to go,
There were eight or ten damned "Scabbies" there a-shearin in a row.

It was shift boys shift there wasn't the slightest doubt,
It was time to make a shift with the leprosy about
So I saddled up m' pony and I whistled on m' dog
And we left his Scabby Station at the old Jig-Jog.

Complete the chorus and it blows out the non-existent link between leprosy and race.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: The Shearing's Not for You
From: GUEST
Date: 06 Feb 18 - 12:22 PM

Sigh....sign of the times observer...thanks.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: The Shearing's Not for You
From: GUEST,akenaton
Date: 06 Feb 18 - 12:24 PM

Sigh....sign of the times observer...thanks.

Subject: RE: Origins: The Shearing's Not for You
From: Joe Offer
Date: 06 Jun 22 - 05:21 PM

Joe - do cleanup