Guise o Tough

Jock Duncan: On Autumn Harvest ah003: Old Songs & Bothy Ballads: For Friendship and for Harmony. Live from the Fife Traditional Singing Festival May 2005.

One of the most popular and widely known of the older bothy ballads. It's popularity certainly partly due to it's inclusion in John Ord's Bothy Songs and Ballads published in 1930 (GD 3: 378; Roud 3800).

1: As I gaed up tae Alford for tae get a fee, I met in wi Jimmy Broon, wi him I did agree. Come a hi come a doo, hi come a day, Hi come a diddle come a dandy O. 2: I met in wi Jimmy Broon in the year o ninety-one, Tae gang hame an caw his second pair an be his orraman. 3: When I gaed hame tae Guise o Tough 'twas on an evening clear, In aboot an orra hoose the gaffer did appear. 4: I'm the maister o the place, that's the mistress there, Ye'll get plenty cheese an breid an plenty mair tae spare. 5: Weel I sat an ate at cheese an breid till they did roon me stare, An then I thocht that it wis time tae ging an see my pair. 6: When I gaed tae the stable my pairie for tae view, Oh fegs! they were a dandy pair a chestnut and a blue. 7: On the followin mornin I gaed tae the ploo, But lang, lang ower lowsin time my pairie gart me rue. 8: The ploo she wisna workin weel she widna throw the fur, The gaffer says a better yin at the smiddy tae gang for. 9: When I got hame the new ploo she pleased me unco weel, I thought she wid be better gin she had a cuttin wheel. 10: I wrocht awa a month or twa wi unco little clatter, Till I played up some nasty tricks and broke a tattie chapper. 11: The gaffer he got word o this and orders did lay doon, If I did the like again he'd pit me fae the toun. 12: We hae a gallant baillie, Wallace is his name, He can fair redd up the kye when he taks doon a kame. 13: We hae a little baillie, Jamieson's his name, He's gane ower tae Alford where he's raised an awfa faem. 14: He's gane doun tae Charlie Watt's for tae hae a dram, Lang, lang e'er I gaed doon the laddie coulnae stan. 15: We hae a gallant kitchie lass, Simpson is her name, For tae tell her pedigree I really would think shame. 16: She dresses up on Sunday wi her heid up off the level, Twa are of ivory wad scare the very devil. 17: Noo ma song is ended, I won't sing any more, If ony be offended I'll walk right ootside the door. Come a hi come a doo, hi come a day, Hi come a diddle come a dandy O.

c p 2006 Autumn Harvest
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