The Muckin o Geordie's Byre
Track Information
Original Track ID
SA1960.142.A8
Original Tape ID
Summary
A comic song describing the poor state of Geordie MacIntyre's byre and the accidents that befall him and his family as they try to get the mess in order. Geordie, his wife, who is as unco sweir [reluctant to work] as himself, and their daughter begin cleaning. The sow receives a kick from the cow, shoves its head through the wife's gown as she is bending down, and carries her off on its back. When she roars out, her daughter runs to her aid, only to trip over the boar, causing it to run off and head straight into a beehive. All this commotion scares the postman's pony, and it too runs off.
Item Notes
5 verses of 8 lines with a chorus of 4 lines; last 2 choruses different.
This song was composed by George Morris (1876-1958) and is based on the traditional song of the same name (Roud 2137), which has been reworked over centuries by numerous poets and rhymers; another great bothy balladeer, Willie Kemp (1888–1965), sang a version of his own.
Although Morris' opening line is "At a little craft upon the hill", some singers have been known to sing something closer to "At a relic aul' craft" or even "At a lyrical craft". Some current-day bothy singers have inherited one of these variant phrases, primary from the singing of Jimmy MacBeath.
See:
Greig-Duncan vol. 7, pp. 83-84, no. 1303
'Kerr's Cornkisters' (W. Kemp & J. S. Kerr, 1950) pp. 44-46
'Songs of Scotland Prior to Burns' (R. Chambers, 1862) pp. 234-235
'Kerr's Buchan Bothy Ballads' vol. 1 (G. S. Morris & J. S. Kerr, 1956) pp. 28-29
'The Scots Musical Museum' vol. 1 (J. Johnson & R. Burns, 1853) p. 97, no. 96
'Ancient & Modern Scottish Songs' vol. 2 (D. Herd, 1869, 1973) pp. 201-202, 339
Language
Scots
Genre
Collection
Source Type
Reel to reel
Audio Quality
Fair