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Scottish Nursery Rhymes and Street Songs

Scottish Nursery Rhymes and Street Songs

Any child brought up in Scotland will know, off by heartsome of our very favourite nursery rhymes. They were sung to us by our mums and grannies and are an lovely memory of childhood days.


 

They vary throughout Scotland according to tradition and superstition but there are a few that every child within a 100 mile radius of Glasgow will be able to sing. I sang this one to my first grandchild and was absolutely delighted when he could fill in the last words of every line!


Storage Tins with Tunnock's Caramel Wafer and Tea Cake Illustrations by Gillian Kyle


Tunnock's Teacake Range. Shop here


Ally Bally, Ally Bally Bee


Sitting on yer Granny's knee (it should actually say Yer Mammy's knee but, youll have to excuse a proud granny a wee bit of artistic license !!!!!)


Greeting for a wee baw-bee


To buy some Coulters Candy


Poor wee Jeanies looking awfy thin


A pickle of bones covered oer wi skin


But noo shes got a wee double chin


From eatin' Coulters Candy


Here's auld Coulter comin round


Wi a basket on his crown


So here's a penny, now you run down


And buy some Coulters Candy


Ally Bally, Ally Bally Bee


When you grow up you'll  go to sea


Making pennies for your daddy and me


To buy some Coulters Candy


And as we all got a little older this one fairly amused us. Naughty and funny!


fox framed print by Gillian Kyle


Foxy Beasts Print. Shop here:


Oh, ye canny shove yer granny aff a bus


Naw ye canny shove yer granny aff a bus


Ye canny shove yer granny


Cause she's yer Mammy's mammy


Ye canny shove yer granny aff a bus!


Noo ye can shove yer ither granny aff  a bus 


Yes ye can shove yer ither grannie aff a bus


Ye can shove yer ither grannie


Cause she's just yer daddy's mammy


Yes ye can shove yer ither grannie aff a bus!


There are a few more verses to this but I always think you can get the gist of it with these first two!


Then there were the wonderful Glasgow street songsthis next one was always a salutary tale. It has its origins in Duke Street Prison, where, between 1798 and 1955 hundreds of prisoners were housed in apparently terrible conditions.


There is a happy land


Doon in Duke Street Jail


Where a' the prisoners stand


Tied tae a nail


Ham an eggs, they never see


Durty watter fur their tea


There they stand in misery


God Save The Queen


The funniest one of all for all members of our family was however The Wee Cock Sparrow. When Duncan MacRae sang it for the first time one Hogmanay in the early 1950's it caused such hilarity in every Scottish home that it became a mainstay of all the  new year celebrations in Scotland for years. Here it is -  enjoy!


Kitchen Tea Towel and Aprons with Love Scotland Design by Gillian Kyle

Love Scotland Tea Towel. Shop here:


A wee cock sparra sat on a tree


A wee cock sparra sat on a tree


A wee cock sparra sat on a tree


Chirping away as blithe as could be


Alang came a boy wi a bow anan arra


Alang came a boy wi a bow an an arra


Alang came a boy wins bow an an arra


And he said "I'll get  ye, ye wee cock sparra"


The boy wi the arra let fly at the sparra


The boy wi the arra let fly at the sparra


The boy wi the arra let fly at the sparra


An he hit a man that was hurlin a barra


The man wi the arra came owre wi the arra


The man wi the arra came owre wi the arra


The man wi the arra came owre wi the arra


And said "Ye take me fur a wee cock sparra"


The man hit the boy, tho he wasnae his farra


The man hit the boy, tho he wasnae his farra


The man hit the boy, tho he wasnae his farra


And the boy stood and gloweredhe was hurt tae the marra


And a' this time the wee cock sparra


And a' this time the wee cock sparra


And a' this time the wee cock sparra 


Was chirping awa on the shank o' the barra


And here are a few wee clarifications for non-natives of Scotland!


Cock Sparra Boy sparrow


Arra - Arrow


Wasnae - Was not


Farra Father


Mara - Marrow


Awa - Along


Barra - Barrow


Till next time!


Lorna (Gillians Mammy)

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