Sleepytoon

Original Track ID

SA1960.142.A5

Original Tape ID

SA1960.142

Summary

This bothy ballad is a humorous description of the ongangs [goings-on] at Sleepytown farm from the perspective of the orra loon [odd-job lad]. After being woken by the foreman each morning at five o'clock, the men have a breakfast of brose, and the singer remarks that farmservants seldom need a dose of castor oil. The foreman finishes his brose, putting his brose cap [wooden bowl] to the side, ties his pints [laces] and goes out to his horses. The singer describes his co-workers, including the kitchen maid, who he swears is over eighteen stone; one morning, she found that the farm cat had kittled [given birth to kittens] in one of her shoes. The well-respected farmer is contrasted with his wife, who has a scowling face.

Item Notes

9 verses of 4 lines. This song was written by the famous bothy balladeer, G. S. Morris (1876-1958). Another bothy song of the same name exists (Roud Folk Song Index no. 23775), probably written by Willie Clark, a farmservant at Sleepytown, around 1870. Morris' song begins, "Come aa ye lads that follow the ploo," while Clark's begins, "It happened at last Whitsunday."

Sleepytown is located at the foot of the Hill of Christ's Kirk, west of Insch.

See:
'The Sang's the Thing' (S. Douglas, 1992) pp. 207-208
'Kerr's Buchan Bothy Ballads' vol. 1 (G. S. Morris & J. S. Kerr, 1956) pp. 26-27

Item Location

Language

Scots

Genre

Song

Collection

SoSS

Classification

R9140

Source Type

Reel to reel

Audio Quality

Fair