Lyr Add: Johnnie Sangster

Subject: Lyr Add: JOHNNIE SANGSTER
From: Jim Dixon
Date: 07 May 09 - 11:48 AM

This version has two more verses, and several small differences:

From A Scottish Ballad Book by David Buchan (London: Routledge & K. Paul, 1973), page 198:


JOHNNIE SANGSTER

1. Of a' the seasons o' the year
When we maun wark the sairest,
The harvest is the foremost time,
And yet it is the rarest.
We rise as seen as mornin' licht.
Nae craters can be blither.
We buckle on our finger-steels,
And follow oot the scyther.

CHORUS: For you, Johnnie, you, Johnnie,
You, Johnnie Sangster,
I'll trim the gavel o' my sheaf,
For ye're a gallant bandster.

2. A mornin' piece to line oor cheek,
Afore that we gae forder,
Wi' cloods o' blue tobacco reek,
We then set oot in order.
The sheafs are risin' fast and thick,
And Johnnie he maun bind them.
The busy group, for fear they stick,
Can scarcely look behind them.

3. I'll gie you bands that winna slip.
I'll plait them weel and thraw them.
I'm sure they winna tine the grip
Hooever weel ye draw them.
I'll lay my leg oot owre the shafe
And draw the band sae handy,
Wi' ilka strae as straucht's a rash,
And that'll be the dandy.

4. Some complain on hacks and thraws,
And some on brods and bruises,
And some complain on grippet hips,
And stiffness in their troosers;
But as soon as they lay doon the scythe,
The pipers yoke their blawvin,
And in ahint the rabble rook
They're owre the lugs wi' [tyawvin].

5. Oh, lazy wives they hinna skeel,
For a their fine pretences.
They'll gar ye trow they're never well,
And loll upon their hinches.
They sair themsels afore the lave
Wi a'thing in profusion,
And syne preten' they canna ate,
Their stammacks hisna fushion.

6. If e'er it chance to be my lot
To get a gallant bandster,
I'll gar him wear a gentle coat,
And bring him gowd in handfu's.
But Johnnie he can please himsel';
I wadna wish him blinkit.
Sae, aifter he has brewed his ale,
He can sit doon and drink it.

7. A dainty cowie in the byre,
For butter and for cheeses;
A grumphy feedin' in the stye
Wad keep the hoose in greases.
A bonnie ewie in the bucht
Wad help to creesh the ladle;
And we'll get tufts o' cannie woo'
Wad help to theek the cradle.

Subject: DT Correction: Johnnie Sangster
From: Joe Offer
Date: 07 May 09 - 08:22 PM

If the DT version is from The Scottish Folksinger, it has a lot of transcription errors. Here's my corrected transcription.
-Joe-


JOHNNIE SANGSTER

O' a' the seasons o' the year,
When we maun work the sairest,
The harvest is the only time,
And yet it is the rarest.
We rise as seen as mornin' licht,
Nae craters can be blither;
We buckle on oor finger steels,
And follow oot the scyther.

CHORUS
For you, Johnnie, you Johnnie,
You, Johnnie Sangster,
I'll trim the gavel o' my sheaf,
For ye're the gallant bandster.

A mornin' piece to line oor cheek,
Afore that we gae forder,
Wi' cloods o' blue tobacco reek
We then set oot in order.
The sheaves are risin' thick and fast,
And Johnnie he maun bind them;
The busy group, for fear they stick,
Can scarcely look behind them.

I'll gie ye bands that winna slip,
I'll pleat them weel and thraw them,
I'm sure they winna tine the grip,
Hooever weel ye draw them.
I'll lay my leg oot owre the sheaf,
And draw the band sae handy.
Wi' ilka strae as straucht's a rash,
And that'll be the dandy.

If e'er it chance to be my lot
To get a gallant bandster
I'll gar him wear a gentle coat,
And bring him gowd in handfu's.
But Johnnie he can please himsel',
I wadna wish him blinket;
Sae, aifter he has brewed his ale,
He can sit doon and drink it.

A dainty cowie in the byre,
For butter and for cheeses;
A grumphie feedin' in the sty
Wad keep the hoose in greases.
A bonnie ewie in the bucht
Wad help to creesh the ladle;
An we'll get tufts o' cannie woo
Wad help to theek the cradle.


From the Scottish Folksinger, Buchan and Hall
@Scottish @farm
filename[ SANGSTER
TUNE FILE: SANGSTER
CLICK TO PLAY
RG
Oct00

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Johnnie Sangster
From: Q (Frank Staplin)
Date: 07 May 09 - 10:55 PM

Verses six and seven are reversed in the printing at ingeb.
"According to Gavin Greig, this fine song was the work of William Scott, born in Fetterangus in Old Deer, Aberdeenshire in 1785."
He worked as a herd-laddie, as a tailor, worked in London, visited America, and returned to Old Deer, according to ingeb.

I have not checked the above.
Johnny Sangster

There is a note on Johnny Sangster at Musical Traditions: Mustrad News

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Johnnie Sangster
From: Joe Offer
Date: 07 May 09 - 11:55 PM

There's nothing on this song at the Traditional Ballad Index, and just a little bit at Folktrax

JOHNNY SANGSTER - "Of a' the seasons of the year when we mun work the salt" Ch: "For you JS" - Female Bothy Ballad about Harvest attributed to William Scott of Fetterangus (b:1785) - variant of JOHNNY'S NAE A GENTLEMAN - ROUD#2164 - RYMOUR Club 1906 1 pp21-2 Greig - GREIG-DUNCAN 3 #407 (6 versions) - ORD BB 1930 pp265-6 Greig -- Alex ROBB #319 Strichen, Aberdeensh rec on Dictaphone cylinder by James M Carpenter 1929-35 - Mrs Alice MEARNS & group rec by Alan Lomax Aberdeen 14/7/51: 7"RTR-0681/ RPL 21415 (4v & ch)

There are 13 entries at Roud, so that's a pretty good start.

-Joe-

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Johnnie Sangster
From: Joe_F
Date: 08 May 09 - 09:41 PM

Ewan MacColl sings it on _Bothy Ballads_ (Folkways FW 8759). The note quoted by Q from ingeb. appears to be a slight abridgment of MacColl's insert in that album. He also says: "Learned from print: Miscellanea of the Rymour Club, Edinburgh."