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04 Oct 04 - 01:14 AM (#1287986) Subject: Lyr Req: Last Halloween in France From: mg I could have sworn we discussed this last year, but I can't find it, which doesn't mean much. It is a gorgeous song, words by Violet Jacobs and tune I believe by Jim MacLean of Mudcat...I have it on a Sangsters c.d....it is haunting...can anyone find the lyrics in DT? Guess I could go on google. |
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04 Oct 04 - 06:11 PM (#1288595) Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Last Halloween in France From: Susanne (skw) Mary, I think what you are looking for is Hallowe'en by Violet Jacob, tune Jim Reid. Jean Redpath's version is haunting. You may notice there's one word in the last verse I'm not sure about. Any help with that would be very welcome. |
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07 Oct 04 - 08:56 AM (#1291202) Subject: Lyr Add: HALLOWE'EN (Violet Jacob, Jim Reid) From: Jim Dixon Susanne: My "Scots Dialect Dictionary," compiled by Alexander Warrack, gives: daff v 1 to be foolish. 2 to sport. 3 to jest. 4 to talk nonsense. 5 to flirt. 6 to romp. 7 to toy amorously. Lyrics copied from http://mysongbook.de/msb/songs/h/hallowen.html HALLOWE'EN Words, Violet Jacob (1920). Music, Jim Reid. The tattie-liftin's nearly through, They're plooin' whaur the barley grew And efter dark roond ilka stack You'll see the horsemen stand and crack O Lachlan, but I mind on you. I mind fu' aften we hae seen Ten thoosand stars keek doon atween. The naked branches, and below Baith fairm and bothy hae their show A-low wi' lichts o' Hallowe'en. There's bairns wi' guys that's at their tail Cloorin' the doors wi' runts o' kail And fine you'll hear the screechs an' skirls O' lassies wi' their drucked carles Bobbin' for aipples i' the pail. The bothy fire is loupin' heat. A new heid-horseman's kist is set. Richt's o'er the lamp whaur by the blaze The auld yin stood that kept yer claes. I cannae thole tae see it yet. But gin the auld folks' tales are richt An' ghaists cam hame on Hallow'n nicht, Oh freend, oh freends, what would I gie Tae feel yer axe yer hand tae me Atween the dark an' coral licht! Awa' in France across the wave, The wee lichts burn on ilka grave An' you an' me their lowes hae seen. Ye'll maybe hae yer Hallowe'en Yont whaur you're lyin' way the lave. There's drink an' daff an' sang an' dance, An' ploys an' kisses get their chance, But Lachlan, man, the place I see Is whaur the auld kist used tae be, An' the lichts o' Hallowe'en in France. [As sung by Jean Redpath on "Leaving the Land," 1990. Also recorded by The Sangsters on "Sharp & Sweet," 2001; and by Sheena Wellington on "Scots Women," 2001.] |
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09 Oct 04 - 04:08 AM (#1292963) Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Last Halloween in France From: Susanne (skw) Thanks, Jim. You give 'daff' as a verb only, which doesn't really fit in the sequence of that line. Is it used as a noun as well? |
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11 Oct 04 - 11:34 AM (#1294283) Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Last Halloween in France From: Jim Dixon My dictionary doesn't SAY "daff" can be used as a noun, but if you assume it can, it certainly fits the context. If you're not comforable with that, I suppose you could sing "daffin'". |
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11 Oct 04 - 05:06 PM (#1294566) Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Last Halloween in France From: Susanne (skw) Well, there are uses that never end up in a dictionary. Anyway, I'll listen again, but it took me a while to work out the lyrics, and if she was singing something closer to 'daffin'' I'm sure I'd have put it down. Let's agree on 'daff' for the time being. Thanks again! |
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26 Sep 08 - 10:48 AM (#2450857) Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Last Halloween in France From: GUEST,Barney I've always thought it was "Drink an daffin, sand an dance". By the way, the fourth line of the 3rd verse should be: O lassies wi their drookit curls i.e. lassies with wet hair. And the last two lines of the 4th verse should be: Tae feel ye rax yer hand tae me Atween the dark an caunle licht! in English, that would be To feel you reach your hand to me Between the dark and candle light. It's got nothing to do with axes! |
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26 Sep 08 - 11:17 AM (#2450884) Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Last Halloween in France From: Susanne (skw) Thanks, Barney. Will be corrected! |
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11 Nov 08 - 01:26 PM (#2490900) Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Halloween (Violet Jacob) From: GUEST,couthiegirl |
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11 Nov 08 - 01:32 PM (#2490904) Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Halloween (Violet Jacob) From: GUEST,couthiegirl Ah how fine to see so many other folks who love that song - it is my Remembrance Day homage, and sung by me to myself on a day I celebrate personally for the arrival of my youngest son. Daff is a noun - we decided by using it! My Dad tells me that rax would be reach - he was raised in the Aberdonian countryside and is familiar with lots of doric speech from his Grannie's farm days... |
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12 Nov 08 - 03:50 PM (#2492077) Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Halloween (Violet Jacob) From: domo The correct words are as follows: verse 3 there's bairns wi' guizards at their tail verse 4 Richts o' the lum; whaur by the blaze verse 7 Ther's drink and daffin', sang an' dance guizards= mummers, lum=chimney, daffin=having fun or flirtatious behaviour. Great song. Try and get the version by Elisa Lemaitre on hr CD "Time wears awa'" |
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12 Nov 08 - 05:21 PM (#2492167) Subject: Lyr Add: HALLOWE'EN (Violet Jacob) From: Jim Dixon Violet Jacob's original text of HALLOWE'EN can be seen with Google Book Search in Bonnie Joann, and Other Poems by Violet Jacob, London: J. Murray, 1921: HALLOWE'EN The tattie-liftin's nearly through, They're ploughin' whaur the barley grew, And aifter dark, roond ilka stack, Ye'll see the horsemen stand an' crack O Lachlan, but I mind o' you! I mind foo often we hae seen Ten thoosand stars keek doon atween The nakit branches, an' below Baith fairm an' bothie hae their show, Alowe wi' lichts o' Hallowe'en. There's bairns wi' guizards* at their tail Cloorin' the doors wi' runts** o' kail, And fine ye'll hear the screichs an' skirls O' lassies wi' their droukit curls Bobbin' for aipples i' the pail. The bothie fire is loupin' het, A new heid horseman's kist is set Richt's o' the lum; whaur by the blaze The auld ane stude that kept yer claes— I canna thole to see it yet! But gin the auld fowks' tales are richt An ghaists come hame on Hallow nicht, O freend o' friends! what wad I gie To feel ye rax yer hand to me Atween the dark an' caun'le licht? Awa' in France, across the wave, The wee lichts burn on ilka grave, An' you an' me their lowe hae seen— Ye'll mebbe hae yer Hallowe'en Yont, whaur ye're lyin' wi' the lave. There's drink an' daffin', sang an' dance And ploys and kisses get their chance, But Lachlan, man, the place I see Is whaur the auld kist used tae be And the lichts o' Hallowe'en in France! [*Mummers who go from door to door.] [**Cabbage-stalks.] |
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29 Oct 14 - 12:04 PM (#3672811) Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Halloween (Violet Jacob) From: GUEST,AR It's about the right time of year for this one. |
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29 Oct 14 - 05:28 PM (#3672872) Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Halloween (Violet Jacob) From: Tattie Bogle Heard it sung twice already this week! |
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30 Oct 14 - 03:23 PM (#3673113) Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Halloween (Violet Jacob) From: GUEST,DTM "guizards" ???? When I was young we used to go "guisin'" and we were called 'guisers' I've always been led to believe it was because we dressed up and knocked on people's doors in 'disguise'. |
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11 Nov 14 - 06:54 AM (#3676376) Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Halloween (Violet Jacob) From: GUEST Surely not "guys"thats at their tail,but guisers |
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11 Nov 14 - 01:48 PM (#3676473) Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Halloween (Violet Jacob) From: Jim McLean As has already been posted, I didn't set this poem to music, it was Jim Reid. but it is one of my favourite poems. Jim Dixon's post is almost exactly a copy of that found in The Scottish Poems of Violet Jacob, 1944. |
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12 Nov 14 - 10:12 AM (#3676676) Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Halloween (Violet Jacob) From: Scabby Douglas "Guizards" is what Violet Jacob wrote, and I don't think it's that much of a stretch to understand it as an antique version of the word "guiser". Bear in mind that she lived in India from about 1895 through to 1936, so she was writing from her memory of Angus Scots as she had known it. |
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24 Oct 20 - 06:26 AM (#4076644) Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Halloween (Violet Jacob) From: Nigel Parsons Refreshing as someone was looking for this on FaceBook, and was directed here. |
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24 Oct 20 - 09:22 AM (#4076668) Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Halloween (Violet Jacob) From: John MacKenzie I always assumed that guisers, was a corruption of disguisers. |
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24 Oct 20 - 04:05 PM (#4076696) Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Halloween (Violet Jacob) From: Tattie Bogle Not sure why the admin person on the Mudcat Facebook thread found it necessary to close down the thread to further comments after the lyrics had been posted: I had seen the thread earlier in the day and was going to go back and post the lyrics, but someone beat me to it. And, sure, that was answering the OP's original request for the lyrics, but there could have been further discussion, such as "What is your favourite version of this song?" I'd find it hard to choose: so many good versions about: Jean Ritchie and Jean Redpath were both mentioned on Facebook. But Jim Reid himself sang it: then there are other great versions (some of which are mentioned by Jim Dixon above) - by Sangsters (Anne Murray), Sheena Wellington, Lucy Pringle, and West Lothian singing group, Tryst. And we'll no doubt hear a few other people sing it this week. |
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05 Nov 20 - 07:14 PM (#4078395) Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Halloween (Violet Jacob) From: Tattie Bogle They are a delicacy in Perigord in France! A bit rubbery, but if you find any chewy bits in your salad.....! |