The Muckin o
Geordie's Byre
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Gordon Easton of Tyrie, Aberdeenshire: On Autumn Harvest ah006: Old Songs & Bothy Ballads: Nick-knack on the Waa. Live from the Fife Traditional Singing Festival May 2007.
A cornkister by the great George Morris. He and his brother in law Willie Kemp vied to outdo each other in writing the comic cornkisters and this is one of Gordon's favourites and one that he feels captures the comedy of what could have been a true event.
1 At a relic aul craft upon the hill,
Jist roun the neuk fae Sprottie's mill,
Tryin aa his life the time tae kill,
Wis Geordie MacIntyre.
No he had a wife a sweir's himsel,
An a dother as black's auld Nick himsel,
An there wis some fun, haud awa the smell,
At the muckin o Geordie's byre.
Chorus:
When the graip wis tint, the besom wis deen,
The barra widna row its leen,
An siccan a soss, there (or it) never wis seen,
At the muckin o Geordie's byre.
2 Noo the dother, she had tae strae an neep,
An the auld wife started tae swipe the greep,
An Geordie fell sklite on a rotten neep,
At the muckin o Geordie's byre.
Seen ben the greep cam Geordie's soo,
An she stood up ahint the coo,
The coo kickit oot, an, 'oh fit a stew!'
At the muckin o Geordies byre.
3 For the aul wife she was booin doon,
The soo got kickit on the croon,
She shoved her heid in the wifie's goon,
An ben through Geordie's byre.
The dother cam thro the barn door,
On hearin her mother let oot a roar,
Tae the midden she ran an fell ower the boar,
At the muckin o Geordie's byre.
4 Noo the boar he lap the midden dyke,
An ower the rigs wi Geordie's tyke,
They baith ran full o a bumbee's byke,
At the muckin o Geordie's byre.
The cocks an hens began tae craw,
Fen Betty astride the soo they saw,
The postie's shelty ran awa,
At the muckin o Geordie's byre.
Chorus:
When the graip wis tint, the besom wis deen,
The barra widna row its leen,
An siccan a soss, there (or it) never wis seen,
At the muckin o Geordie's byre.
5 Noo a hunner year hae passed an mair,
Whaur Sprottie's wis, the hill is bare,
The craft's awa so ye'll see nae mair,
O the muckin o Geordie's byre.
His folks aa deid an awa lang syne,
In case his memory we should tyne,
Fussle this tune tae keep ye in min,
O the muckin o Geordie's byre.
6 When the graip wis tint, the besom wis deen,
The barra widna row its leen,
An the soo an aul Betty has never been seen,
Since the muckin o Geordie's byre.
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Glossary:
muckin=cleaning; croft/ craft = small farmstead; jine= join; kill = overcome with weariness; sweir = lazy; auld Nick=the Devil; tint = lost; besom = broom; deen = done; barra = barrow; widna row its leen = would not hold it's load; siccan = such; soss = dirty wet mess; strae = straw; neep = turnips; swipe = sweep; greep/ gripe = gutter in the byre; fell sklyte = fall heavily; ben = through; soo = sow/ female pig; booin doon = bending down; goon = gown, dress; midden = dung heap; rigs = strip of arable land; tyke = dog; bumbee's byke = beehive; lang syne = long since; tyne = lose
c p 2008 Autumn Harvest : www.springthyme.co.uk
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