The Packman
Track Information
Original Track ID
SA1987.87.A2a; SA1987.87.A2b; SA1987.87.A2c
Original Tape ID
Summary
In this song, a shepherd from Galloway goes to Grimsby to try his hand at being a packman. Though he is treated well by the boss at first, he quickly becomes homesick, and discovers that the job is not as easy or as profitable as he had thought. He decides to return to Galloway, and warns other young men against trying the packman lifestyle.
Sam Smith recites some words, plays the melody (on the fiddle), then sings a fragment of the song. His father sang this and many Irish songs, but didn't write them down. Irish workers came over to work at the harvest, and would exchange songs. Mention of Sam's family farm at Kirkcowan.
Item Notes
Published in 'Frae the Heather' by Thomas Murray of Moorbrock, Carsphairn parish, Kirkcudbright. The song was composed by his son George Murray, who had been a packman in Grimsby before returning home to Galloway and enlisting in the Army, later fighting in the Boer War.
See:
'Tocher' 41 (1987-1988) pp. 333-335
'Frae the Heather' (T. Murray, 1897) pp. 29-30
'Come Gie's a Sang' (S. Douglas, 1995) pp. 34-35
Item Location
Village/Place - Galloway
Non Scottish Item Location
England, Grimsby
Non Scottish Item Location
Sasainn, Grimsby
Language
English, Gaelic, Scots
Genre
Collection
Classification
Source Type
Reel to reel
Audio Quality
Good