| GREY FUNNEL LINE (Cyril Tawney) Don't mind the wind nor the rolling sea The weary night never worries me But the hardest time in a sailor's day Is to watch the sun as it fades away It's one more day on the grey funnel line The finest ship that sails the sea Is still a prison for the likes of me But give me wings like Noah's dove I'll fly up harbor to the one I love There was a time my heart was free Like a floating spar on the open sea But now that spar is washed ashore It comes to rest at my real love's door. Every time I gaze behind the screws Makes me long for St Peter's shoes I'd walk on down that silver lane And take my love in my arms again Oh Lord, if dreams were only real I'd have my hands on that wooden wheel And with all my heart I would turn her 'round And tell the boys that we're homeward bound I'll pass the time like some machine Until blue water turns to green Then I'll dance down that walk on shore And sail the Grey Funnel Line no more. And sail the Grey Funnel Line no more. THE LOCH TAY BOAT SONG When I've done the work of day, and I row my boat away Down the waters of Loch Tay as the evening light is fading, Then I look upon Ben Lawers, where the after glories glow And I dream on two bright eyes with a melting mouth below. She's my beauteous nighean ruadh, she's my joy and sorrow too; Though I own she is not true, ah, but I cannot live without her. For my heart's a boat in tow, and I'd give the world to know If she means to let me go, as I sing hori horo. Nighean ruadh, your lovely hair has more beauty I declare Than all the tresses fair from Killeen to Aberfeldy. Be they lint-white, brown, or gold, be they blacker than the sloe, They mean not as much to me as a melting flake of snow. And her dance is like the gleam of the sunlight on the stream And the songs the wee folk sing, they're the songs she sings at milking. But my heart is full of woe, for last night she bade me go, And the tears begin to flow, as I sing hori horo. SEVEN OLD LADIES Oh, dear, what can the matter be Seven old ladies got locked in the lavat'ry They were there from Sunday 'till Saturday Nobody knew they were there The first to come in was the minister's daughter She went in to pass some superfluous water She pulled on the chain and the rising tide caught her And nobody knew she was there The next to come in was dear Mrs. Mason The stalls were all full so she pissed in the basin And that is the water that I washed my face in And nobody knew she was there The third old lady was Amelia Garpickle; Her urge was sincere, her reaction was fickle. She hurdled the door; she'd forgotten her nickel, And nobody knew she was there The forth to come was old Mrs. Humphrey She shifted and jiggled to get herself comfy Then to her dismay, she could not get her bum free And nobody knew she was there The fifth to come in, it was old Mrs. Draper She sat herself down, and then found there was no paper She had to clean up with a plasterer's scraper And nobody knew she was there The sixth old lady was Emily Clancy; She went there 'cause something tickled her fancy, But when she got there it was ants in her pantsy And nobody knew she was there The Seventh old lady was Abigail Quimm Who crossed her legs on a personal whim, But her thigh got caught twixt the bowl and the rim And nobody knew she was there. The janitor came in the early morning. He opened the door without any warning, The seven old ladies their seats were adorning, And nobody knew they were there. OLD DUN COW (Harry Wincott 1893) Some friends and I in a public house Were playing dominoes one night When into the room a fireman came, His face all chalky white "What's up?" says Brown, "Have you seen a ghost?" "Have you seen your Aunt Moriah?" "Oh my Aunt Moriah be buggered," says he, "The bleeding pubs on fire" "Oh," says Brown, "What a bit of luck Everybody follow me It's down to the cellar if the fire's not there Then we'll have a grand old spree" So we all went down with good old Brown And the booze we could not miss And we hadn't been there ten minutes or more Till we were quite like this Oh, there was Brown, up side down Mopping up the whiskey on the floor "Booze, booze" the firemen cried As they come a knockin' at the door "Well don't let em in till it's all mopped up Somebody shouted, "MacIntyre" And we all got blue blind paralytic drunk When the Old Dun Cow caught fire Then Smith ran over to the port wine tub And gave it just a few hard knocks He started taking off his pantaloons Likewise his shoes and socks "Oh no," says Brown, "That t'ain't allowed You can't do that there Don't be washing your trotters in the port wine tub When we got some Guinesses beer" Then there came a mighty crash Half the bloody room caved in And we were drownded by the fireman's hose Though we were almost happy So we got some tacks and some wet old sacks And we packed ourselves inside And we sat there getting bleery eyed drunk When the Old Dun Cow caught fire ON A MISTY MOISTY MORNING On a misty moisty morning, when cloudy was the weather, I met a withered old man a-clothed all in leather, He was clothed all in leather with a cap beneath his chin, singin': "How d' you do and how d' you do and how d' you do again" This rustic was a treasure as on his way he hide And with a leather bottle fast buckled by his side He wore no shirt upon his back with wool unto his skin, singin': I went a little further and there I met a maid A-goin' a-milking, milkin's o'er she said Then I began to compliment and she began to sing, sayin': This maid, her name was Dolly, clothed in a gown of grey I being somewhat jolly, persuaded her to stay And straight I fell a-courting her in hopes her love to win, singin': I having time and leisure, I spent a vacant hour A-telling of my treasure while sitting in the bower And the in kind embraces I strolled her double chin, singin': I said that I would married be and she would be my bride And along we should not tarry in twenty things beside I'll plough and sow and reap and mow and you shall sit and spin, singin': Her parents then consented, all parties were agreed Her portion thirty shillings, we married were with speed Then Will, the piper, he did play, while others dance and sing, sayin': Then lusty rovin' robin with many damsels gay To drive and roam to dawning to celebrate the day And when they met together, their caps they off did fling, sayin': THE RATTLIN' BOG Chorus: Ho ro, the rattlin' bog The bog down in the valley-o Ho ro, the rattlin' bog The bog down in the valley-o Now in this bog there was a tree A rare tree, a rattlin' tree Tree in the bog and the bog down in the valley-o Chorus Now on this tree there was a limb A rare limb, a rattlin' limb Limb on the tree, tree in the bog, and the bog down in the valley-o... branch Twig Nest Egg Bird Wing Feather Bug Eye Gleam TWA RECRUITIN' SERGEANTS 1. Twa recruiting sergeants came fra the Black Watch Tae markets and fairs, some recruits for tae catch But a' that they 'listed was forty and twa: Enlist my bonnie laddie an' come awa Chorus: And it's over the mountain and over the main Through Gibralter, to France and Spain Pit a feather tae your bonnet, and a kilt aboon your knee Enlist my bonnie laddie and come awa with me. 2. Oh laddie ye dinna ken the danger that yer in If yer horses was to fleg, and yer owsen was to rin This greedy ole farmer, he wouldna pay yer fee Sae list my bonnie laddie and come awa wi' me 3. With your tattie porin's and yer meal and kale, Yer soor sowan' soorin's and yer ill-brewed ale, Yer buttermilk, yer whey, and yer breid fired raw Sae list my bonnie laddie and come awa 4. And its into the barn and out o' the byre This ole farmer, he thinks ye never tire It's slavery a' yer life, a life o' low degree Sae list my bonnie laddie and come awa with me 5. O laddie if ye've got a sweetheart an' a bairn, Ye'll easily get rid o' that ill-spun yarn Twa rattles o' the drum aye and that'll pay it a' Sae list my bonnie laddie and come awa. Jesus� Brother Bob If you haven't heard of me I wouldn't be surprised I bet you know my relatives their names will never die My mother is a saint and my brother is a God But all I am is Jesus' Brother Bob CHORUS Jesus' Brother Bob, Jesus' Brother Bob A nobody relative of the son of God If only I'd been born just a little sooner I'd be more than the brother of God junior I have to pay the ferry to cross the Galilee But not my brother, no not him, he walks across for free I finally get to work 'bout a quarter after nine Already he's turning water into wine CHORUS One day when I was home I heard a mightly roar There were a thousand people right outside the door "Help us Jesus, Help us" came the cheering from the mob Then they got a look at me, "Oh nuts, it's only Bob." CHORUS He died upon the cross, I thought that I was free Finally people would get to know me for me This was my big chance to finally get ahead The next thing you know he's rising from the dead CHORUS |