Lyr Req: Last o' the Tinkler (Violet Jacob)

Subject: Lyr Req: Scottish song missing lyrics.
From: GUEST,Pict
Date: 20 Feb 03 - 03:24 AM

Hello all I hope some one can help I have a tune that I remember hearing about 12 years ago in Scotland on a radio show that Archie Fisher presented.I can't remember all the lyrics but I do remember these lines.

"
lay me in yon place lin
for the gloamin's thick wi' nicht
and I cannae see yer face lin
for my een's no sae richt
for it's ower late for lea'in'
an' I ken fine that I'm deein'
like an auld craw fleein'
tae the last o' the licht

the kye gang tae the byre lin
and the sheep gang tae the fold
ye'll mak a speck o' fire lin
for my hert's turned icy cold
and 'fore the trees are meetin'
there's a sound like waters beating
and the birds seem near tae greetin'
that was aye you singin' bold

there's just yerself tae grieve lin
and the auld dug lyin' here
for when the morn comes creepin'
and you waukened birds are cheepin'
ye'll find me lyin' sleepin'
as I've slept for sixty year"

Does any body recognise these lyrics?If you do could you let me know what the song is called and what the correct lyrics are I'd appreciate it immensely.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Scottish song missing lyrics.
From: Sorcha
Date: 20 Feb 03 - 10:45 AM

I am not finding anything. HELP!

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Scottish song missing lyrics.
From: MMario
Date: 20 Feb 03 - 10:49 AM

lordy - this is probably gonna be a tough one - unless someone recognise's it from pict's post.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Scottish song missing lyrics.
From: Drumshanty
Date: 20 Feb 03 - 11:59 AM

It looks like the Dying Tinker/The Last Tinker. I can't remember properly but I think it is a poem by either Violet Jacob or Marion Angus set to an old pipe tune. I heard it sung by someone at a festival last year but that's the only time and I have been trying to find it ever since. If I can, I'll get in touch with the person who sang it and get some more info, if I'm not beaten to it.

Hope that is some help.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Scottish song missing lyrics.
From: Sorcha
Date: 20 Feb 03 - 12:11 PM

"Oh lay me doon in yon place lad
Whar the glomin's thick wi mist I cannae see yer face weel lad fir man eeyns is nae sae richt
For it's ower late fir leein cause I ken fine
I'm dyin and the craw it seems near fleein tae the end of the day.....

http://216.239.39.100/search?q=cache:8Qmjcw1QY34C:www.springthyme.co.uk/guestbook/guestbook.html+%22last+tinker%22+lyrics&hl=en&ie=UTF-8

From a bulletin board above is this address,
[e-mail] Gill claims to have 3 of 4 verses. I'll e mail and ask him/her to stop in.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Scottish song missing lyrics.
From: MMario
Date: 20 Feb 03 - 12:22 PM

found out at http://www.springthyme.co.uk/ in the guestbook archives.


I have been singing a song i heard 20 years. the origin of which I am unclear. It is a poem written by a woman in the north east of scotland sung to a pipe tune which I was told was 100 years old. I know it as the Last Tinker or perhaps the Dying Tinker. it starts

"Oh lay me doon in yon place lad
Whar the glomin's thick wi mist
I cannae see yer face weel lad
fir man eeyns is nae sae richt
For it's ower late fir leein
cause I ken fine I'm dyin
and the craw it seems near fleein
tae the end of the day..... "

The problem is I know 3 of the 4 verses and never picked up what I think is verse 3 which refers to the auld tinkers dog. Anyone out there know it? Gill
The Last Tinker"

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Scottish song missing lyrics.
From: MMario
Date: 20 Feb 03 - 12:26 PM

Sorcha - we have to stop meeting like this...

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Scottish song missing lyrics.
From: Malcolm Douglas
Date: 20 Feb 03 - 01:27 PM

I knew I had this somewhere, but it took the extra info provided to remind me -eventually- of the title; then a rather frustrating search through old vinyl not finding things I'm supposed to have. However...

The song is called The Last o' the Tinkler. As Drumshanty suggested, it started out as a poem by Violet Jacob (1863-1946), and was set by Sylvia Barnes to an unidentified "traditional tune". She recorded it with the band she was with at the time, "Kentigern", on their eponymous LP made in 1979 (Topic 12TS394). The "pipe tune" reference may come from the pipe solo in the song, which was based on the first line of a pibroch, The Old Woman's Lullaby.

It may be a while before I can unearth the record deck and actually listen to the song, but I'll get back to it unless someone else has it more readily to hand now that we know where it can be found. There's also a good chance that it appears in anthologies of Scottish verse; quite a lot of Jacob's poems do.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Scottish song missing lyrics.
From: Sorcha
Date: 20 Feb 03 - 01:33 PM

Hi, Mario!

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Scottish song missing lyrics.
From: MMario
Date: 20 Feb 03 - 01:41 PM

It appears at least one other artist recorded it:

Gibb Todd

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Scottish song missing lyrics.
From: pict
Date: 20 Feb 03 - 07:31 PM

Thanks a lot everyone your help and info is very much appreciated I've had that tune in my head for the last 12 years,I want to record a version of it so it's nice to know that it's public domain.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Scottish song missing lyrics.
From: Malcolm Douglas
Date: 20 Feb 03 - 07:44 PM

I'm afraid it isn't. The lyric will still be in copyright, and so will Sylvia Barnes' arrangement, whatever the status of the tune she set it to when played on its own. Copyright details are: "Violet Jacob/Sylvia Barnes; pub. Kinmor Music" (presumably 1979). MCPS will have the full details. Sheila got permission to set the poem from Violet's niece and heir, Millicent Lovett.

Subject: Lyr Add: THE LAST O' THE TINKLER (Violet Jacob)
From: Malcolm Douglas
Date: 12 Mar 03 - 11:10 AM

On reflection, I decided not to attempt a transcription from Sylvia's singing; Scots doesn't really have a standardised spelling, and, particularly as the lyric was made by a fairly recent writer as a poem, I felt that it should be done properly. Instead, I picked up a copy of one of Violet Jacob's books, The Scottish Poems of Violet Jacob (1944), which includes it. The book, and others of Jacob's, can be found quite easily, as they sold well in their day and were reprinted a number of times.

THE LAST O' THE TINKLER

(Violet Jacob)

Lay me in yon place, lad,
The gloamin's thick wi' nicht;
I canna see yer face, lad,
For my een's no richt.
But it's owre late for leein'
An' I ken fine I'm deein',
Like an auld craw fleein'
Tae the last o' the licht.

The kye gang tae the byre, lad,
The sheep tae the fauld,
Ye'll mak a spunk o' fire, lad,
For my he'rt's turned cauld;
And whaur the trees are meetin'
There's a soond like waters beatin',
An' the bird seems near tae greetin'
That was aye singin' bauld.

There's just the tent tae leave, lad,
I've gaither'd little gear,
There's just yersel' tae grieve, lad,
And the auld dog here;
But when the morn comes creepin'
And the waukin' birds are cheepin'
It'll find me lyin' sleepin'
As I've slept saxty year.

Ye'll rise tae meet the sun, lad,
And baith be trayv'lin' west,
But me that's auld an' done, lad,
I'll bide an' tak my rest;
For the grey heid is bendin'
And the auld shune's needin' mendin',
But the trayv'lin's near its endin',
An' the end's aye the best.


Violet Jacob, The Scottish Poems of Violet Jacob, Oliver and Boyd Ltd., Edinburgh 1944.


Sylvia may have changed it a little in the course of setting it to music; I still haven't unearthed my turntable to check that. This, anyway, is how it was originally intended by its writer.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Scottish song missing lyrics.
From: pict
Date: 12 Mar 03 - 10:07 PM

Thanks for posting that Malcolm.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Scottish song missing lyrics.
From: Malcolm Douglas
Date: 12 Mar 03 - 10:19 PM

It's a fine wee poem, and makes a fine song, too. I'm rather hoping that someone will post the tune that Sylvia Barnes set it to; I don't think it's one that I can easily do myself. We'll see, anyway. Meanwhile, I'm looking forward to reading the rest of the book. I'm glad that you gave me an excuse to get hold of it.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Last o' the Tinkler (Violet Jacob)
From: GUEST
Date: 16 Sep 08 - 05:13 AM

My ear's recall from the Kentigern album, additions or changes in caps.

Ye'll rise tae meet the sun, lad,
And YE'LL baith be TREEV-LIN' west,
But me that's auld an' done, lad,
I'll bide HERE an' tak my rest;
For the grey heid is bendin'
And the auld SHINS' needin' mendin',
AND the treev'lin's near its endin',
And the end is aye the best.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Last o' the Tinkler (Violet Jacob)
From: GUEST
Date: 13 Aug 13 - 04:18 PM

I want to congratulate folks for this and this what I learned and sung

Lay me in yon place, lad,
The gloamin's thick wi' mist;
I canna see yer face weel lad,
For my een's no richt.
But it's owre late for leein'
An' I ken fine I'm deein',
Like an auld craw fleein'
Tae the last o' the licht.

The kye gang tae the byland,
The sheep tae the fauld,
Ye'll mak a o bilin',
For my he'rt's an ice cauld;
And whaur the trees are meetin'
There's a soond o' water dreepin'',
An' the birds soond near greetin'
That was ocht times singin' bauld.

There's just the tent tae leave, lad,
I've gaither'd little gear,
There's just yersel' tae grieve, lad,
And the auld dog here;
But when the morn comes creepin'
And the waukin' birds are cheepin'
It'll find me lyin' sleepin'
As I've slept saxty year.

Ye'll eyes they'll meet the sunlight,
And baith trayv'lin' brave and well,
It's me that's auld an' done, lad,
I'll bide an' tak my rest;
For the grey heid is bendin'
And the auld shune's needin' mendin',
But the trayv'lin's near its endin',
An' the end's aye the best.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Last o' the Tinkler (Violet Jacob)
From: GUEST,Gill
Date: 13 Aug 13 - 05:31 PM

Just realised I posted here 10 years ago asking for the 3rd vers!! mad as this is still here and I found the 3rd verse!! Happy Days love and best wishes - Gill - still a tinker xx

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Last o' the Tinkler (Violet Jacob)
From: GUEST,Bob Blair
Date: 14 Aug 13 - 04:05 AM

John Eaglesham also put this to music and. CD with it on was recently issued by John's pals in Stramash s a tribute to him now that he's not at all well.

John's tune is a fine one and whilst he was well he would sing it regularly with Stramash and round the many Scottish festivals that he visited. So, many folk will have heard him sing it as he sat singing in the pubs which were John's favourite spot

The song is particularly poignant now that " the traivlins near ending " for John

Bob Blair