SOME OF MY SONG LYRICS
Not all of my songs, by any means.
The Singing Kettle have used 20 of my songs.
Many other lyrics are not in handy electronic form just now.
And I have put none of the SCND and other peace songs on .
Most of these songs are to old tunes, but these have often been substantially amended.
A FLOWER HID AWAY
Am C G
There’s a flower hid away for you, young man
Am F Em7
There’s a flower hid away for you, young man
C Em7 D C9
There‘s an apple in my apron, honey in my hand
Am Fmaj7 Fmaj7+B Am
And roses in my bosom for you, young man
G Em7 D C9
Eden’s apple, free from sin
Am Fmaj7 G Em
Firm white flesh and a rosy skin
G Em7 D C9
Slake your need and fear no seed
Am Fmaj7 Fmaj7+B Am
Bite into the core, young man
The bee stole the juice of the bloom
Walled it up in a small wax room
But the hive is mine, and the honey is mine
And the comb drips sweet for you, young man
The roses are white, tipped with red
Bound around with many a thread
But the threads are breaking for your sake
The roses open to you, young man
The fruits of the earth are yours, young man
But youth does not endure, young man
Harvest time is yours and mine
And you and I are here, young man
ABSENT FRIENDS
One more time we will step the road together
Share one more beat of our hearts
Find one more line that will bind our minds forever
One more before we part, one more before we part
The road is a story, the road is a song
The road shows the way, though the way is long
We’ll tell one, we’ll sing one to carry us on
One more before we part, one more before we part
The heart holds the love, the heart holds the beat
The heat holds the hope, the heart holds the heat
And two hearts together make both more complete
The mind is a feast where we may dine
On thought that is food, on thought that is wine
And sweet memories, ours, yours and mine
ALL THE TUNES IN THE WORLD
Lay down the borrowed guitar
Lay down the fiddle and bow
You’d like one more drink at the bar
But the manager says you must go
All the tunes in the world
Are dancing around in your head
The clock on the gantry says playtime is done
You’ll just have to sing them instead
Lay down the jig and the reel
Lay down the planxty and slide
Everyone knows how you feel
But there’s no time to take one more ride
Everyone here feels the same
Yes, you deserve one more tune
But you know the rules of the game
It’s time to go howl at the moon
GA’S SONG
About my grandfather, Hugh Reynolds of Plean
When ah was a laddy o twelve year auld
In the year of Nineteen Ocht Two
Ma father hurt his back in a fall in the pit
And ma mither said "It's work time for you"
So ma mither changed the date on ma birth certificate
So's ah could leave the school, free and clear
And ah never knew she'd done it till ah went tae draw ma pension
And they made me work another year
Ah was put pickin stones from the coal comin up
And ma wage was ten bob a week
Less fourpence for the doctor, and sixpence for the union
And the money fair jingled in ma breeks
But ye'll no write a song about me, young man
Ye'll no write a song about me
Sing about the lassies pushin wagons full of stones
And ye'll no write a song about me
When the Nineteen and Fourteen War came along
Ah'd a wife and a six week old bairn
And the papers said the Gerries were killin kids and women
Ah said "Ah, but they'll leave mine alane!"
So me and some pals went away tae join up
The first Scottish miners tae enlist
And ah think tae this day of the fool that ah was
Tae believe all the lies o the press
But ye'll know write a song about me, young man
Ye'll no write a song about me
Sing about the laddies that marched off cheerin
And ye'll no write a song about me
They sent us over tae fight in France
And the sights that ah saw wad mak ye roar
Ah'd seen fields growin oats and barley
But ah'd never seen a field growin tartan before
Ah took a bit of shrapnel in the muscle o ma airm
And it lay there five months through
And when they dug it out there was a piece o ma jersey
And ma tunic lyin in there too
But ye'll no write a song about me, young man
Ye'll no write a song about me
Sing about the laddies that never saw their families
And ye'll no write a song about me
Then they sent us tae Salonika, and there ah caught malaria
Invalided hame, livin saft
Till the boat ah was on was torpedoed by the Gerries
And ah spent fourteen hours on a raft
It was swimmin time again when they put us back tae France
Night piquet duty at the Front
Sinkin in the mud till it's up tae yer middle
And only yer kilts held ye up
But ye'll know write a song about me, young man
Ye'll no write a song about me
Sing about the laddies that were swallowed by the mud
And ye'll no write a song about me
Then ah went back tae Thorniecroft's pit
Ah wrocht at the coalface there
Ah was Branch Secretary in 1926
When we had tae strike tae keep our share
We kept up our hearts and we kept up the fight
And we saw the General Strike come and go
No coal for our fires, and no food for our tables
But No Surrender to the foe
Then we heard that the firemen, the safety men, ye ken
That were keepin the machinery oiled
Were smugglin up coal for old Thorniecroft
So's that he could have his caviar boiled
Well, we couldny stand for that, and we planned to stop their game
But the management spies had the tale
And we were taken up before the Dean Of The Court
And I landed in Duke Street Jail
It was 'Heroes Of The Fight' when we came out
But the strike was over in vain
My name was high on the bosses' blacklist
And ah never was a miner again
But ye'll no write a song about me, young man
Ye'll no write a song about me
Sing about the shambles of the General Strike
And ye'll no write a song about me
Ah'll tell you who tae sing about, the martyr, John Maclean
The finest speaker ever ah heard
Five thousand people in St Andrew's Hall
And he held them with every word
Ah was on the County Council with his daughter
Ah, she's another fine fighter, is Nan
The two of us were votin against every rent increase
While the Labour lads sat upon their hands
But don't start me on about ma Party days
Or we'll be sittin here all night
It's your turn now to get on with the struggle
Ah've fought ma share of the fight
Ah'm nine tenths there tae my hundredth year
And ah sit and ah think of what ah've seen
Ah think ah'm goin tae make it, but the only trouble is
Ah'd have tae get a letter from the Queen
But ye'll no write a song about me, young man
Ye'll no write a song about me
There were thousands like me, nothing special about me
And ye'll no write a song about me
HARP AND CARP
I'll harp and carp no longer here
For leaden coins and heather beer
My tree of strings no more shall sing
I'll play no more for the likes of you
No more ballads of back yard brawls
Where Jack of the Castle hits Jock of the Hall
One fool rises, another fool falls
I'll play no more for the likes of you
I'll play no more to empty pockets
Though my eyes have empty sockets
I have legs enough to hop and
I'll play no more for the likes of you
I'll harp and carp no more for you
I played my fingers sore for you
My throat I ripped and tore for you
I'll play no more for the likes of you
No more sighs for Blue Crishana
No more lies of the Lords of Valhalla
No more ancient stuff at all
I'll play no more for the likes of you
I'll be off to the High King's Hall
Where I can sing instead of bawl
And bounce my voice off high stone walls
I'll play no more for the likes of you
I'll harp and carp in triple time
To knowing ears drunk on wine
Who'll compliment my slightest line
I'll play no more for the likes of you
I'll sing of the wife of King Orphey
That the fairies stole away
And I will make it last three days
I'll play no more for the likes of you
You tell me I should play old tunes
Play with yourselves, you old buffoons
Beg a song from the Man In the Moon
I'll play no more for the likes of you
WORDS : Ewan McVicar
TUNE : Brian Boru's March
HOLLAND JOCK
The crow-stepped roofs of Culross, they reach up to the blue
The seagulls stand atop them, surveying the view
The roofs of brick red pantiles, that we brought across the sea
From the Lowlands of Holland, when I was young and free.
In the town of Culross, they call me Holland Jock
But I was born in Culross, of honest fisher stock
So I was called to mend the nets, and then to sail the sea
I was a fine young fisherman, when I was young and free
But one year the herring shoals came flooding from the North
And herring prices tumbled, all round the Firth of Forth
Our nets were full to bursting, but no-one came to buy
So we stood out to sea, some other land to try
We set our course for south by east, once we had cleared the Bass
We skirted round the English ports, that tax your every cask
We ran before a northern gale that whipped the waves to white
Until the isle called Walcheren in Holland hove in sight
At the port called Campveere, that's famous far and wide
We met some Scottish countrymen, that in that place did bide
They brought us to the custom house, and helped us pay our dues
And told us of the woollen trade, and asked that we'd take home news
We sold our fish for ready gold, which cheered each purse and heart
We gathered letters from new friends, before we did depart
We took on tiles for ballast, to help our boat ride low
We sailed off for home again, but all were loathe to go
For Holland is a lovely place, where all is clean and neat
The roofs and buildings colourful, the food and drink are sweet
The men are fine and friendly, and the lasses frank and free
And the Lowlands Of Holland they stole my heart from me
When we came coasting back for home, by Leith we chose to go
We heard the great bell tolling, that hangs at Netherbow
That same bell, like our rooftiles, was made across the sea
In the Lowlands of Holland, in the Middleburg foundry
Any time I had the chance, I sailed the German Sea
To see the sights and greet the folk, of the Low Countries
A Holland bell rings in my breast, it will not set me free
And the Lowlands Of Holland they stole my heart from me
Lyric by Ewan McVicar
Tune traditional: The Lowlands Of Holland
Written for the Scottish-Zeelandic Cultural Festival, 15-17 September 2000
THE PRINCE’S HAND
I got a kiss of the Prince’s hand, he ho ro
I caught his horse and made it stand, He ho ro
He asked my name and praised me and, he ho ro
I got a kiss of the Prince’s hand, he ho ro
From Finnan Glen by many a mile
By Preston Pans and great Carlise
To Derby Town in far England
Where I got a kiss of the Prince’s hand, he ho ro
In Glasgow we got lodgings fine
Feather beds and claret wine
But what care I for mansions grand
For I got a kiss of the Prince’s hand, he ho ro
On Falkirk Field I got these scars
From shortsword fighters called hussars
They thought me dead, but here I stand
For I got a kiss of the Prince’s hand, he ho ro
Drummossie Moor was our downfall
We felt the weight of cannon ball
At last we fell, or else we ran
But I got a kiss of the Prince’s hand, he ho ro
Our Prince was hunted like a dog
Across the heather, through the bog
The Red Backs swaggered on our land
But I got a kiss of the Prince’s hand, he ho ro
But friends were there on every side
MacDonald’s Flora helped him hide
She made a woman from a man
But I got a kiss of the Prince’s hand, he ho ro
Our noble chief stayed home in bed
And sent his sons with us instead
He sold his king to keep his land
But I got a kiss of the Prince’s hand, he ho ro
It ended back where it began
I did as well as any man
Our loss I cannot understand
But I got a kiss of the Prince’s hand, he ho ro
We carried him safe to the bay
And cheered his as he sailed away
We wrote our names upon the sand
But I got a kiss of the Prince’s hand, he ho ro
Words and music Ewan McVicar
This song is in part inspired by the title of the McCrimmon pipe tune I Got A Kiss Of The King’s Hand. I sometimes use it in a story of a Glenfinnan lad who follows in the Prince’s train as a drummer boy.
ROBIN HOOD AND HIS MERRY MEN
Robin Hood and his merry men
Went to school at half past ten
The teacher said "Late again,
Robin Hood and his merry men."
Tell your maw, tell your paw,
Tell them what the teacher saw.
Tell your gran and Uncle Fred,
Tell them what the teacher said.
Mary and her little lamb
Went to school in a pram.
The teacher drew a diagram of
Mary and her little lamb.
Ali Baba and the forty thieves
Went to school with dirty knees.
The teacher said "You’ll get disease,
Ali Baba and the forty thieves."
The three bears and Goldilocks
Went to school in odd socks.
The teacher gave them chickenpox,
The three bears and Goldilocks.
The wolf and Little Red Riding Hood
Went to school and were quite rude.
The teacher got in a bad mood with
The wolf and Little Red Riding Hood.
Old King Cole and his fiddlers three
Went to school on a bumblebee.
The teacher said "Dearie me", to
Old King Cole and his fiddlers three.
Humpty Dumpty and his shell
Went to school and rang the bell.
The teacher said "I heard you fell", to
Humpty Dumpty and his shell
The big bad wolf and the three little pigs
Went to school and danced a jig.
The teacher saw, and she played tig with
The big bad wolf and the three little pigs.
Snowwhite and the seven dwarves
Went to school on a big black horse.
The teacher "I’m getting cross", to
Snowwhite and the seven dwarves.
Cinderella’s ugly sisters
Went to school covered in blisters.
The teacher shook her little fist at
Cinderella’s ugly sisters.
TUNES:
Verse - What’s Poor Mary Weeping For
Chorus Bound For The Mountains
SHIFT AND SPIN
Shift and spin, warp and twine
Making thread coarse and fine
Dreamin o yer valentine
Workin in the mill
Keep yer bobbins runnin easy
Show ye're gallus, bright and breezy
Waitin till Prince Charmin sees ye
Workin in the mill
Oil yer runners, mend yer thread
Do yer best until you're dead
You wish you were a wife instead o
Workin in the mill
You used to dream you'd be the rage
Smilin on the fashion page
Never dreamt you'd be a wage slave
Workin in the mill
You used to think that life was kind
No it isn't, never mind
Maybe some day love will find you
Workin in the mill
He loves you not? So what?
Make the best of what you've got
Win your pay, spin your cotton
Workin in the mill
UNCLE SHUGGIE
Ma favourite Uncle Shuggie came round and he says tae ma mammy
"Ah sank that pound on a sure fire cert of a horse in the two o’clock
Could you help us out with three pound ten?
Or just make it five and ah’ll pay ye when I know"
And ma mammy said "Never again, Hugh"
Cause ye never paid last time
Or the time before last time
You must owe a fortune and you’ll never get even
Shuggie go! Go raffle your body for science
Ma Uncle Shuggie said, "Aw come on, make it two pound even."
Ma mammy said "Done. As long as you take Young Hugh here our for the day"
Ma Uncle said "ach, Bella, but"
Ma mammy said "Just keep it shut and go before I start to remember"
My favourite Uncle Shuggie said "Well, come on then son, or we’ll miss the parade"
But when we went out there was just a man wi two dugs
He said "How’d we get on?" Ma uncle said "Well, thirty bob cash and a wean we could sell as a scarecrow."
And the dug man said "Ah’m losin patience"
Ma favourite Uncle Shuggie smiled, he said "Ah’ll see ye right, it’ll just take a while"
And the dug man said "All right, where’s the thirty bob?"
Ma uncle said, "Ach, leave us five" the dug man said "Be glad you’re alive and go. Hey, take yer pygmy wi ye"
Then ma favourite Uncle Shuggie and me paid a wee visit to a hostelry
Then we hippety hopped to the bookie shop
But the horses all had three left feet, My uncle started to greet
But the bookie said "No. And Willy Carson was never your nephew"
Then ma favourite Uncle Shuggie and me went intae Alec’s bakery
And my uncle asked for the loan of a dozen rolls
But Alec said tae my uncle, "Get out you wee carbuncle
Don’t you know ah heard what ye did tae ma sister"
Then ma Uncle Shuggie, he said to me "Hey son, have ye got any l.s.d.?
We could go to the chippy and buy yer mammy a pie
Maybe she’d like a bottle of beer and twenty fags?"
Ah said "Ach, cheerie, yer just a rotten chancer"
Words: Ewan McVicar
Tune: Donkey City
Here are some of the songs I made for the Singing Kettle.
I THINK I KNOW A MAN
I think I know a man, I think his name is Fred
I think he goes to bed at night with jelly on his head
Jelly on his head, jelly on his head
How can he sleep at night with jelly on his head?
I think I know a girl, I think her name is Grace
I think she goes to bed at night with fried egg on her face.
I think I know a lady, her name is Mrs Speirs
I think she goes to bed at night with icecream in her ears.
I think I know a boy, I think his name is Mike
I think he goes to bed at night and tries to ride a bike.
I think I know a girl, her name is Alison
I think she goes to bed at night and chews upon a bun
I think I know a boy, I think his name is John
I think he goes to bed at night with no pyjamas on!
By Ewan McVicar, but first verse partly by a four year old.
Also known as No Pyjamas On or Jelly On His Head.
BANANAS ARE THE BEST
Banana, banana, bananas are the best
A nice squishy middle in a big yella vest
Today or manãna, ah'll be sayin, "Canna
Canna have a banana?"
What am ah gonny have fur ma tea? – BANANA
Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Fridee – BANANA
What’s ma Sunday dinner gonna be?- BANANA
Canna have a banana
Fifty million monkeys can't be wrong - BANANA
From totie wans tae Old King Kong - BANANA
They all love tae sing this song - BANANA
Canna have a banana?
You can slid down a tree on the skin
Wear it on your head fur a hat
Try and use a coackienut for that
Canna have a banana?
You can stick it in yer ear fur a phone
Throw it to yer dog fur a bone
Buy me a jungle o my own
Canna have a banana?
It's long and it's yella and it's bent
The taste is heaven sent
Don't waste your money on yer rent
Canna have a banana?
Words by Ewan McVicar, tune African
1 2 3 MA GRANNIE WENT TO SEA
1 2 3 ma grannie went tae sea
With a parrot on her shoulder and a banjo on her knee.
1 2 3 and 4 5 6 ma grannie did the splits
The parrot yelled 'Murder' and the banjo fell tae bits.
4 5 6 and 7 8 9 they found a gold mine
But the parrot told the neighbours, just for auld lang syne.
7 8 9 and 10 11 12 they came and helped themselves
Ma grannie caught the parrot and she rang its little bell.
10 11 12 and 12 11 10 she rang its bell again
And the parrot said, "Who's there? Who are ye callin hen?"
12 11 10 and 10 9 8 she told the parrot straight
"You're a polly-wolly doodle-bug, ye wee featherweight".
10 9 8 and 8 7 6 we were all in a fix
The parrot chewed a carrot and ma grannie showed us tricks
8 7 6 and 6 5 4 ma grannie found a door
So we all went home and there isn't any more
Oh no there is so
3 2 1 GO!
A B C ma grannie found a flea
She salted it and peppered it and had it for her tea.
A B C and D E F ma grannie went deaf
Goin to the football and shoutin at the ref.
D E F and G H I ma grannie made a pie
Bluebottle biscuits and bread-and butterfly.
G H I and J K L ma grannie made a smell
What did she smell like? Not very well.
J K L and M N O ma grannie broke her toe
They put her in the hospital, they wouldny let her go.
M N O and P Q R ma grannie bought a car
She took us out for hurlies on the handlebar.
P Q R and S T U ma grannie caught the flu
Doin the Hokey Cokey wi a kangaroo.
S T U and V W ma grannie turned blue
We put her in the bed and we cried Boo Hoo.
But X Y Z ma grannie wasny dead
So instead of getting buried she got married instead.
I know ma A B C and you know as much as ma grannie.
By Ewan McVicar
CROMARTY REGATTA
Why are we waitin, why are we waitin,
Why are we waitin, waitin here?
Why are we waitin, why are we waitin,
Why are we waitin here?
Off we go, sailin down to Cromarty
Off we go, sailin down to Cromarty.
Hi ho, off we go, sailin down to Cromarty
Hi ho, off we go, sailin down to Cromarty.
Words by Ewan McVicar, tune Irish 'Dingle Regatta'
WHEN YOU SEE A PUDDLE
When you see a puddle you have to go splash
Splash splash splash, splash splash splash
When you see a puddle you have to go splash
That's what a puddle is for
When you see a lion you have to go rrrahhhrr
When you see a giraffe you have to go munch
When you see a crocodile you have to go snap
Monkey - oo gah
Kangaroo - bounce
Mouse - eek
Puppy dog - aaawww
Baby - tickle
Motor bike - vroom vroom
By Ewan McVicar