Any child brought up in Scotland will know, off by heart, some 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!

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, you’ll 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 Jeanie’s looking awfy thin

A pickle of bones covered o’er wi skin

But noo she’s 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!

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 songs; this 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!

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 an’an 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 glowered, he 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 (Gillian’s Mammy)