Gin Ye Marry Me - meaning? (Kirk o' Birnie Bouzle)

Subject: Gin Ye Marry Me - meaning?
From: Rosebrook
Date: 24 Oct 02 - 01:38 AM

I've run across this song and have found it's lyrics, but I don't seem to have much of a grasp on the language. Can anyone "translate" for me?
Thanks much,
Rose

Gin Ye Marry Me
Gin ye marry me Lassie
At the Kirk called Birnie Bouzle
Till the day ye die lassie
Ye will ne'er repent it

Ye will wear when ye are wed
A girdle and a Hieland plaid
High above a heather bed
Sae coutle and sae canty

When ye gang with me Lassie
Tae the Kirk o' Birnee Bouzle
Little brogues an' a' Lassie
Vow but ye'll be canty

Gin ya marry me Lassie
At the Kirk called Birnie Boozle
Till the day ya die Lassie
Ye will ne'er repent it

Tho your tocher is but small
a hodden-grey will wear for tha'
I'll save my siller tae mak' ye braw
And Ye will ne'er repent it

When ye marry me Lassie
Tae the Kirk called Birnee Boozle
Little brogues an' a' Lassie
Oh but ye be canty

Gin ya marry me Lassie
At the Kirk called Birnie Boozle
Till the day ya die Lassie
Ye will ne'er repent it

I'll hunt the otter and the brock
The hart the hare the hearther-cock
And you alone will spay the rock
And mak' ye dishes dainty

When ye marry me Lassie
Die the Kirk called Birnee Boozle
Little brogues and all Lassie
Oh but ye be canty

Gin ya marry me Lassie
At the Kirk called Birnie Boozle
Till the day ya die Lassie
Ye will ne'er repent it

Subject: RE: Gin Ye Marry Me - meaning?
From: Ebbie
Date: 24 Oct 02 - 02:03 AM

Gin Ye Marry Me
Gin ye marry me Lassie
At the Kirk called Birnie Bouzle
Till the day ye die lassie
Ye will ne'er repent it

"If you marry me, lassie
at the church called Birnie Bouzle,
'til the day you die, lassie
you will never rpent it."

Rosebrook, like you, I get the gist of it but I too would like to see a translation or paraphrase of the whole thing.

Subject: RE: Gin Ye Marry Me - meaning?
From: GUEST,Boab
Date: 24 Oct 02 - 03:16 AM

Ah'm no gonnae gang ower the hale spiel----but hae a keek at ane or twa---maybe eneugh tae mak things a wee cle[!!]
   Gin----"if" or [in some contexts] "by the time that"---
   Tocher ---the traditional gift brought to the groom by the bride in Scotland [cash or kind--no longer practised as far as I know]
   Siller----cash, money
   Brock---a badger
   canty or "cantie"---contented, happy

   I think that should explain a lot---?

Subject: RE: Gin Ye Marry Me - meaning?
From: GUEST,Boab
Date: 24 Oct 02 - 03:22 AM

For "cle[!!]" above, read "clearer"!! And add "hart"--of the deer family;"Heather-cock"---a grouse, or [perhaps] capercaillie.

Subject: RE: Gin Ye Marry Me - meaning?
From: IanC
Date: 24 Oct 02 - 04:36 AM

"Gi'n" is short for "Given" (means "if" in this context)
:-)

Subject: RE: Gin Ye Marry Me - meaning?
From: Willie-O
Date: 24 Oct 02 - 07:01 AM

Ach, come back Little John, we're the poorer without ye.

As Scots songs go, this is fairly straightforward and wholesome. It's on the Tannahill Weavers very first album.

Willie-O

Subject: Lyr Add: BIRNIE BOUZLE
From: masato sakurai
Date: 24 Oct 02 - 10:59 AM

Another version from HERE, with notes:

Birnie Bouzle

Gin ye'll marry me, lassie,
At the kirk o' Birnie Bouzle,
Till the day ye dee, lassie,
Ye shall ne'er repent it.

Ye shall wear when ye are wed
A kirtle and a hieland plaid,
Sleep upon a heather bed
Sae couthie and sae canty.

Ye shall gan sae braw, lassie,
Tae the kirk o' Birnie Bouzle,
Little brogues and a', lassie,
Vow! but ye'll be canty.

Yer wee bit tocher is but sma',
But hodden gray will wear for a',
I'll save my siller tae mak' ye braw,
Ye shall ne'er repent it.

We'll ha' bonnie bairns and a',
Some lassies fair and laddies braw,
Like their mother ane and a',
And yer father he's consented.

I'll hunt the otter and the brock,
The hart, the hare, the heather cock,
I'll pull ye limpets frae the rock
Tae mak' ye dishes dainty.

gin = if; kirk = church; dee = die; kirtle = gown; hieland plaid = tartan shawl; sae couthie = so cozy; sae canty = so cheerful; gan = go; braw = fine; tae = to; a' = all; tocher = dowry; hodden = homespun; siller = silver; bairns = children; ane = one; brock = badger; frae = from

~Masato

Subject: RE: Gin Ye Marry Me - meaning?
From: Jim Krause
Date: 24 Oct 02 - 11:31 AM

Interesting the relation between Scots and Low German. For example:
keek in Scots = take a peek at, look
kjikj in Low German means exactly the same thing.
ane in Scots = one
een in Low German = one
Fascinating.

Jim

Subject: RE: Gin Ye Marry Me - meaning?
From: IanC
Date: 24 Oct 02 - 11:37 AM

Jim

Not surprising though, as Scots is an Anglian dialect.

:-)

Subject: RE: Gin Ye Marry Me - meaning?
From: Alice
Date: 24 Oct 02 - 11:46 AM

I am missing Little John Cameron very much.

Subject: RE: Gin Ye Marry Me - meaning?
From: Susanne (skw)
Date: 24 Oct 02 - 09:25 PM

Jim, what about
'goeren' (bairns) (stands out more when spoken)
or 'buten un binnen' (but and ben)

Subject: RE: Gin Ye Marry Me - meaning?
From: Rosebrook
Date: 24 Oct 02 - 10:09 PM

Thanks for the clarification and explanations - very appreciated!
~Rose

Subject: RE: Gin Ye Marry Me - meaning?
From: GUEST,Boab
Date: 25 Oct 02 - 04:42 AM

Hmmm!---IanC----can you ive us the "Anglian origins" of "forfechan", sheugh", "brough", "fornent" , "lowes", "mirk", etc., etc.,-----
Methinks, Ian, you are "haudin the cat's erse tae the sun", to quote a well used Scots saying which has SOME obvious "Anglian" connections!

Subject: RE: Gin Ye Marry Me - meaning?
From: IanC
Date: 25 Oct 02 - 05:29 AM

Boab

Before you start taking the piss out of what people say, it might be better to inform yourself a little.

Here's a slight expansion of what I originally said. If you are really interested, then perhaps you might be inclined to find a copy of the "Concise Scots Dictionary". I don't have the time to go into the origin of every word.

Scots Language

Scots is the name given to the language which developed from the Germanic dialect spoken by the Angles who settled in the SE corner of Scotland during the 7th century and which gradually replaced Gaelic as the language spoken in southern and eastern Scotland. It is a sister language to English, sharing a common root in what is now refered to as Old English.

A useful reference is The Concise Scots Dictionary (Aberdeen University Press - ISBN 0-08-028491) which also contains an excellent history of the Scots language.

:-)

Subject: RE: Gin Ye Marry Me - meaning?
From: masato sakurai
Date: 25 Oct 02 - 07:52 PM

For background info, see Susanne´s Folksong: Birnie Bouzle.

Subject: RE: Gin Ye Marry Me - meaning?
From: GUEST,Boab
Date: 26 Oct 02 - 02:06 AM

Ian---sorry if I misconstrued your statements. I will, however, stand by my own interpretations of whatever may be said in dictionaries and "glossaries", no matter what opinions are put forward therein! The fact that almost every word in the English dictionary indicates a derivation from this or that lingo doesn't mean that English is a "dialect' of latin, french, teutonic or any other! EVERY modern language is the result of popular usage, and has its origins in many other languages. Scots ---and even the very existence of a "Celtic' culture,--- has been under attack in recent years, mainly by devotees of the "British" Union who attempt to decry at every opportunity the right of Scotland , Wales or Ireland to claim independence if they so wish. I am always defensive when I see hints of this; I am sorry if I was mistaken in this instance. Peace!!!
:-)!!!
Boab

Subject: Lyr. Add: BIRNIE BOUZLE (2)
From: Q (Frank Staplin)
Date: 17 Oct 06 - 10:12 PM

Lyr. Add: Birnie Bouzle (2)
(Universal Songster, 1828)

O, wull ye gang wi' me, lassie,
To the braes of Birnie Bouzle?
Baith the earth and sea, lassie,
Wull I rob to feud ye;
I'll hunt the otter and the brock,
The hart, the hare, the heather-cock,
An' pu' the limpats frae the rock,
To fatten and to feud ye.

An' gin ye gang wi' me, lassie,
To the braes of Birnie Bouzle,
Tull the day ye dee, lassie,
Ye sall aye hae plenty;
The peats I'll carry in a skull,
The cad and ling wi' lines I'll pull,
And reave the eggs of mony a gull,
To make ye dishes daintie.

Sae cherrie wall ye be, lassie,
In the braes of Birnie Bouzle,
Donald Gunn and me, lassie,
Ever will attend ye;
Though we hae neither milk nor meal,
Nor mutton, lamb, or beef, or veal,
We'se fauk the porpie and the seal,
And that's the way to feud ye.

And ye sall gang sae bra, lassie,
At the kirk of Birnie Bouzle,
Wi' little brogues and a', lassie,
Vow but ye'se be vauntie;
A' ye sall wear, when ye are wed,
The kirtle an' the highland plaid,
An' sleep upo' the heather-bed,
Sae cozie and sae cautie.

Gin you marrie me, lassie,
My chiefest aim will be, lassie,
Ever to content ye;
I'll raw the boat, I'll spread the sail,
I'll bait the line, I'll bear the pail,
An' daud the clotters wi' the flail,
To mak' our taties plenty.

Then come awa' wi' me, lass
To the braes of Birnie Bouzle,
An' sin' ye are sae free, lassie,
Ye sall ne'er repent ye,
For ye sall hae baith tups and ewes,
An' gauts, an' swine, an' stots, and caws,
An' be the leddy o' my house,
And that way wee* content ye.
*weel?

Page 436, no music, "The Universal Songster, or Museum of Mirth," 1828, vol. 3, Jones and Co., London.

Reminiscent of "The Braes o' Balquhidder" (Wild Mountain Thyme). See thread 20021, esp. the version from "Scottish Songs" c. 1850: Origin Wild Mountain Thyme

I remember the 'skull' my grandmother had (coal scuttle).

Subject: RE: Gin Ye Marry Me - meaning? (Kirk o' Birnie Bouzle)
From: GUEST,TonyT
Date: 02 Jan 09 - 06:04 AM

I am a Lancastrian (that's Lancashire, not Lanarkshire as one person once thought!) and am often struck by the not too surprising links btween Lanky dialect (and Cumbrian) and Scots words - the obvious use of "aye" for "yes", and of "lads and lasses"...

Subject: RE: Gin Ye Marry Me - meaning? (Kirk o' Birnie Bouzle)
From: Santa
Date: 02 Jan 09 - 08:18 AM

As a Geordie from a family of Cumbrian origins, with a Scottish name of Saxon roots, and living in Lancashire, I feel competent to point out that the use of "aye", and "lads and lasses" is fairly common across the whole of the North of England. Scots, or Laland, is a variant of English, and has its roots in the Anglo-Saxon settlement in the whole of the Borders region in the time of the Northumbrian kingdom. It is hardly surprising that it has many words that are not immediately recognisable in current English. This must be common in all dialects, each of which have changed in response to their own histories and neighbours. North Eastern English is said to have much in common with Danish (although having been to Denmark, I'm not too convinced about that) and no doubt many Scots words come from the Celtic connections.

In answer to Boab's claims of Unionist propaganda, I feel the current problem is more one of Celtic extravagant overclaiming, and the SNP's generated hate campaign against the English, who are blamed for everything. My personal feeling is that the border should not run as it does, but between the Clyde and the Forth as it did linguistically. And, to make things right, another between the Mersey and the Trent!

Subject: RE: Gin Ye Marry Me - meaning? (Kirk o' Birnie Bouzle)
From: Jack Campin
Date: 02 Jan 09 - 08:28 AM

The word you need is "isogloss".

Many of the words cited here have distributions that don't follow national boundaries. "Bairn" is a good example - it's of Norse origin and you find it in the areas where the Norse had most most influence, i.e. eastern Scotland and north-east England (and all of modern Scandinavia). It isn't much used in Glasgow (where the corresponding word is "wean"). It isn't any sort of shibboleth for Scottish identity and *certainly* isn't "Celtic".

Subject: RE: Gin Ye Marry Me - meaning? (Kirk o' Birnie Bouzle)
From: Tootler
Date: 02 Jan 09 - 11:02 AM

When I first met my wife, who is from near Holmfirth, I was surprised how many words she used my Aberdonian mother and grandparents also used.

If you are faced with song words in broad Scots, this is a useful site: http://www.scots-online.org/grammar/index.asp
. Click on "Dictionary" at the bottom of the menu on the left and you will get a dialog box where you can enter the word you are not sure about. Since it is many years since I last lived in Scotland, I find it very useful.

Subject: RE: Gin Ye Marry Me - meaning? (Kirk o' Birnie Bouzle)
From: GUEST
Date: 27 Sep 10 - 07:37 PM

Hi Folks can anybody help with the chords for this please
Many Thanx
AndiZu

Subject: RE: Gin Ye Marry Me - meaning? (Kirk o' Birnie Bouzle)
From: GUEST
Date: 15 May 12 - 02:00 PM

am & G

Subject: RE: Gin Ye Marry Me - meaning? (Kirk o' Birnie Bouzle)
From: GUEST,leeneia
Date: 15 May 12 - 10:43 PM

Is the tune any good? Can anybody provide it?

Subject: RE: Gin Ye Marry Me - meaning? (Kirk o' Birnie Bouzle)
From: s&r
Date: 16 May 12 - 10:06 AM

On youtube here with the Corries and the mother of all bodhrans


Stu

Subject: RE: Gin Ye Marry Me - meaning? (Kirk o' Birnie Bouzle)
From: GUEST,leeneia
Date: 16 May 12 - 03:47 PM

Thanks, s&r. I found it by using 'boozle.'

There's an abc of it on this page under 'Braes of Tullymet.'

http://www.ceolas.org/cgi-bin/ht2/ht2-fc2/file=/tunes/fc2/fc.html&style=&refer=&abstract=&ftpstyle=&grab=&linemode=&max=250&isindex=Reel%20in%20D&submit=Search

It didn't convert until I added X:1 towards the top.

The version the Corries are singing is this tune rendered a bit more smoothly for vocal, rather than strathspey, purposes.

Subject: RE: Gin Ye Marry Me - meaning? (Kirk o' Birnie Bouzle)
From: diplocase
Date: 05 Oct 12 - 08:35 PM

to answer the original question, the song would sound more or less like this in American English:

If you'll marry me, lassie, at the church of Birnie Bouzle
Until the day you die, lassie, you will never regret it
You will wear when you are married a gown and a plaid wool mantle
Sleep upon a featherbed, so comfortable and contented

You'll be so well dressed, lassie, going to church at Birnie Bouzle
Little shoes and all, lassie. My, but you'll be merry!
Your little dowry is but small, but homespun grey wool fabric will do for all our clothes
I'll save my money to dress you well, you will never regret it

If you'll marry me, lassie, at the church of Birnie Bouzle
Until the day you die, lassie, you will never regret it

We'll have lovely children and all, some pretty girls and sturdy boys
Like their mother, one and all, and your father, he's consented to the marriage

I'll hunt the otter and the badger, the deer, the rabbit, and the grouse
I'll pry the limpets from the rock to make you special meals
If you'll marry me, lassie, at the church of Birnie Bouzle
Until the day you die, lassie, you will never regret it.

Subject: RE: Gin Ye Marry Me - meaning? (Kirk o' Birnie Bouzle)
From: GUEST,hogmanay
Date: 06 Oct 12 - 06:13 AM

Santa --2.09--I think the smoke from all those chimneys must have got into your eyes and given you a blinkered outlook.
The only hate I see generated in Scotland is from the labour politicians and their fast diminishing band of supporters who still cannot believe that they lost the god given right to govern this "too small, too poor, too stupid country" in its pretendy parliament, their words, not mine.
I suggest that you search out for and read a copy of the Macrone report that had to be prised out of Westminster by an F.O.I. request. [They fought long and hard to avoid having to release this one.]
This report, suppressed for nearly forty years shows the lengths the unionist parties will go to to suppress the true facts on self government for Scotland. The suppression of this report along with a piece of gerrymandering gave them a claimed victory in the last referendum. Reading it might even open your blinkered eyes.
I am not a member of any political party

Subject: RE: Gin Ye Marry Me - meaning? (Kirk o' Birnie Bouzle)
From: GUEST,Jane Ann Liston
Date: 06 Oct 12 - 08:04 AM

Hmm - last post slightly off-topic, if I may say so.

Back to the song; in both versions, note the number of now protected species on the hunting list: otter, badger (except in SW England), porpoise. Don't try this at home, children!

By the way, I think the 'skull' is more of a basket than a coal-scuttle. The Newhaven fishwives carried their fish in a creel and skull, the latter being the small basket on the top and I think it had a band which went across the forehead, presumably to help steady the load on the back.

Subject: RE: Gin Ye Marry Me - meaning? (Kirk o' Birnie Bouzle)
From: GUEST,hogmanay
Date: 06 Oct 12 - 09:02 AM

J.A.L.--just keeping the record straight. It only takes comments like those made by Santa to be let go unanswered for the vile slur on a perfectly respectable group of people gain credence with a certain set of unthinking members of the community.

Bye the bye it may have been a small basket used in the area mentioned but in other areas I think it was used as another name for the creel in the coal mines.

Subject: RE: Gin Ye Marry Me - meaning? (Kirk o' Birnie Bouzle)
From: GUEST,mahogany
Date: 06 Oct 12 - 09:10 AM

Also used in the tattie picking season under that name [i.e. scull] in S.W.S. in the days when we actually went and lifted tatties during the school holidays granted for that purpose.

........Guest, hogmanay/mahogany, since you are using a guest name, please be consistent in the guest name you use. Thanks. --mudelf

Subject: RE: Gin Ye Marry Me - meaning? (Kirk o' Birnie Bouzle)
From: GUEST,hogmanay
Date: 06 Oct 12 - 11:46 AM

Ha----big brother is watching me.

Sorry my thoughts were elswhere at the time.

Subject: RE: Gin Ye Marry Me - meaning? (Kirk o' Birnie Bouzle)
From: Jim McLean
Date: 06 Oct 12 - 12:47 PM

The post which translated the song into American English said ' ... a plaid wool mantle'.
This is a misunderstanding of the word 'plaid' which Americans (and some English) think means 'tartan'. Plaid itself means a 'wool mantle'.