Scottish | Mama Lisa's World Blog

Archive for the 'Scottish' Category

Posts

This Life’s an Enchanted Fairy Land…

Thursday, April 2nd, 2009

I came across a wonderful verse today by Robert Burns (1759 – 1796). He wrote the song Auld Lang Syne. The verse is from Epistle To James Smith.

Original Text in Scots

"This life, sae far’s I understand,
is an enchanted fairy land,
where pleasure is the magic wand, that weilded right,
maks hours like minutes, hand in hand dance by fir’ light."

Standard Modern English

This life, so far as I understand,
is an enchanted fairy land,
where pleasure is a magic wand, that wielded right,
makes hours like minutes, hand in hand dance by the firelight.

Share on Facebook and other services:

Posted in Countries & Cultures, English, Great Britain, Languages, Poetry, Poets, Robert Burns, Scotland, Scottish | No Comments »

Traditional Scottish Music Downloads

Thursday, February 12th, 2009

Ashley wrote to me looking for some Scottish songs to download. Here’s what she wrote…

Hi Lisa,

I came across your website while I was looking for some traditional Scottish songs for my primary two class, your website is great!

I was just wondering if you knew of anywhere I could download music to go with the lyrics?

I’m looking for music for;

Three Wee Craws
Ally Bally
Murder Murder Polis
The Big Ship Sails
My Girl’s a Corker
I’ve a Laddie in America
Dance to your Daddie

If you know of any websites to download traditional Scottish music, please let me know!

Thanks,

Ashley

We have lyrics to traditional Scottish songs on Mama Lisa’s World. a couple of them have mp3’s to download.

I’ve been able to find the following songs to download from Amazon (clicking the link will bring you to the download page – most downloads are .99 cents per song):

Ally Bally – MP3 Downloads
The Big Ship Sails – MP3 Downloads
My Girl’s a Corker – MP3 Download

If anyone knows where you can download the other songs, or if you’d like to sing any of them for us, please comment below or email me.

Thanks!

Mama Lisa

Share on Facebook and other services:

Posted in Children's Songs, Countries & Cultures, English, Great Britain, Languages, MP3 Recordings, MP3's, Mama Lisa, Music, Questions, Recordings of Nursery Rhymes, Recordings of Songs, Scottish, Scottish Children's Songs | 3 Comments »

Scottish Gaelic Nursery Rhymes or Songs

Friday, September 22nd, 2006

Monique, of Mama Lisa’s World en français, was nice enough to send me this lovely photo of the Eilean Donan Castle in Scotland, which she visited this past summer.

Eilean Donan Castle

Monique asked me to post the photo with a request for Scottish Gallic nursery rhymes or songs. If anyone knows of any, please send them to us. We’d be happy to post them!

-Lisa

Share on Facebook and other services:

Posted in Children's Songs, Countries & Cultures, Folk Songs, Gaelic, Languages, Mama Lisa, Nursery Rhymes, Scotland, Scotland, Scottish, Scottish Children's Songs, Scottish Gaelic, Scottish Lullabies, Scottish Nursery Rhymes, Traveling | 16 Comments »

“Three Craws”, a Children’s Song from Scotland

Friday, August 4th, 2006

Shona sent me this nice Scottish song a couple of days ago. Here’s the song and what Shona said about it…

Here is a song that my grandma sang to me when I was small. She was from Glasgow:

Three Craws (Crows)….

Three craws sat upon a waa (wall)
sat upon a waa
sat upon a waa-a-a-aa
Three craws sat upon a waa on a cal (cold) an frosty mornin’

‘i (pronounced as in sit – meaning the) first craw wiz (was) greetin (crying) for is (his) ma (mother)
greetin for is ma
greetin for is ma-a-a-aa
‘i first craw wiz greetin for is ma on a cal an frosty mornin’

‘i second craw wiz greetin for is da (father)
greetin for is da
greetin for is da-a-a-aa
‘i second craw wiz greetin for is da on a cal an frosty mornin’

‘i third craw cudna (couldn’t) flee (fly) ata (at all)
cudna flee ata
cudna flee ata-a-a-aa
‘i third craw cudna flee ata on a cal and frosty mornin’

If I can figure out how to record it I’ll sing it and send it to you.

Shona

Thanks for sharing your grandma’s song with us! If you’re able to record it, of course we’d love to hear this song too.

-Lisa

Come visit The Mama Lisa’s World Great Britain Page for more Songs from Scotland.

Share on Facebook and other services:

Posted in British Children's Songs, Children's Songs, Countries & Cultures, Scotland, Scottish, Scottish Children's Songs, Three Craws | 4 Comments »

Please Send An Endearing Term for Grandma and Grandpa in Your Language

Wednesday, March 15th, 2006

Kathy wrote me…

Dear Mamalisa,

I was delighted to find your website and will be using it in the future. I am researching translations for the word “grandma” in various languages. I am most interested in the familiar, sweet terms children might call this individual. I am aware that in some cultures this would be a different word for the mother or the father’s side of the family. I have spent hours on Internet, through many websites as well as your website and links. I have thus found: Cajun, Hawaiian, Ukrainian, Italian, Scottish, Irish, Portuguese, Danish, Dutch, French, Spanish, and Farsi. I am not clear about Russian or Greek since I am not completely sure of their letters. Now I am certainly not expecting you to do hours of research for my project. But I thought you might be familiar with an easier way for me to accomplish my task.

For example, I happened on a page called “I Love You” in Various Languages and found 18 pages for “I love you”. Wow! Anyway, whatever help you can give me would be much appreciated.

Thank you in advance for your assistance.

Kathy

If anyone knows any endearing terms for “grandma” and “grandpa”, including any in those languages listed, please comment below.

Thanks!

Lisa

Share on Facebook and other services:

Posted in Cantonese, China, Countries & Cultures, France, French, German, Germany, Grandma, Grandpa, Greece, Greek, Hawaii, Hawaiian, Hong Kong, Hungarian, Hungary, Ireland, Japan, Japanese, Languages, N. Ireland, Occitan, Occitan, Poland, Polish, Portugal, Portuguese, Questions, Scotland, Scottish, Spanish, Sweden, Swedish, Words & Phrases, Yiddish | 114 Comments »

“Auld Lang Syne” for New Year’s Eve

Monday, December 26th, 2005

Auld Lang Syne is the most popular New Year’s Eve song in the English speaking world and elsewhere. Guy Lombardo began the tradition of ringing in the new year with the tune in 1929. He and his band played it on the radio and then counted down till midnight. Every year from then till 1976 Lombardo played it for the occasion, on the radio and later on TV.

Originally, dating back at least to the 1600’s, Auld Lang Syne was a Scottish folk song. Then around 1788, the Scotch poet Robert Burns added two verses and his friend George Thompson put Burn’s lyrics to the tune of another Scottish song The Miller’s Wedding. That’s the version we hear today.

Below are the lyrics to the popular short version of Auld Lang Syne and the longer version based on the Robert Burns Poem, with explanations of the meanings of the Scottish words plus an mp3 recording.

Auld Lang Syne (literally Old Long Since, meaning Old or Way Long Ago)

Should auld acquaintance be forgot,
And never brought to mind?
Should auld acquaintance be forgot,
And days of auld lang syne?

(Chorus)
For auld lang syne, my dear
For auld lang syne,
We’ll take a cup o’ kindness yet,
For auld lang syne.

And there’s a hand my trusty fiere (friend),
And gie’s (give us) a hand o’ thine
We’ll take a right guid-willie (good will) waught (drink),
For auld lang syne.

(Chorus)

Here’s the longer version of Auld Lang Syne by Robert Burns (1759-1796)…

MP3 of Auld Lang Syne by Ruth Golding

Auld Lang Syne
by Robert Burns

Should auld acquaintance be forgot,
And never brought to mind?
Should auld acquaintance be forgot
And days of auld lang syne?

(Chorus)
For auld lang syne, my dear,
For auld lang syne,
We’ll take a cup o’ kindness yet
For auld lang syne

We twa (two) hae (have) run about the braes (hillsides)
And pu’d (pulled) the gowans (daisies) fine;
We’ve wander’d mony (many) a weary foot
Sin’ auld lang syne

(Chorus)

We twa hae paidled (waded) i’ the burn (brook),
Frae mornin’ sun till dine (noon);
But seas between us braid (broad) hae roar’d
Sin’ auld lang syne

(Chorus)

And there’s a hand my trusty fiere (friend),
And gie’s (give us) a hand o’ thine
We’ll take a right guid-willie (good will) waught (drink),
For auld lang syne.

(Chorus)

And surely ye’ll be (pay for) your pint-stowp (about a 3 pint cup)!
And surely I’ll be mine!
And we’ll take a cup o’ kindness yet,
For auld lang syne.

(Chorus)

Happy New Year’s!

Lisa

Share on Facebook and other services:

Posted in Auld Lang Syne, Auld Lang Syne, Auld Lang Syne, Countries & Cultures, English, Folk Songs, Holiday Songs, Holidays Around the World, Languages, MP3's, New Years, New Years Songs, Poetry, Recordings of Songs, Robert Burns, Scotland, Scottish, Scottish Folk Songs | 4 Comments »

St. Andrew’s Day

Tuesday, November 29th, 2005

St. Andrew’s Day is celebrated in Scotland on November 30th. He’s the patron saint of Scotland (and Russia and Greece too). The Scottish flag is actually the cross of St. Andrew. The legend is that he went to Greece to spread Christianity and was crucified on a cross in the shape of an X.

It seems that nowadays, St. Andrew’s Day is celebrated more by Scottish people abroad, than in Scotland. They eat Scottish foods, sing Scottish songs and dance Scottish dances!

Here’s a Scottish song in honor of St. Andrew’s Day…

Aboot the Merry-Matanzie
(Scottish)

Here we gae roon the jing-a-ring,
The jing-a-ring, the jing-a-ring;
Here we gae roon the jing-a-ring,
Aboot the merry-matanzie.

Twice aboot, an than we fa,
Than we fa, than we fa,
Twice aboot, an than we fa,
Aboot the merry-matanzie.

Guess y wha the guidman is,
The guidman is, the guidman is;
Guess ye wha the guidman is,
Aboot the merry-matanzie.

Honey is sweet, an so is he,
So is he, so is he;
Honey is sweet, and so is he,
Aboot the merry-matanzie.

He’s merried wi a gay gowd ring,
A gay gowd ring, a gay gowd ring;
He’s merried wi a gay gowd ring,
Aboot the merry-matanzie.

A gay gowd ring’s a cankerous thing,
A cankerous thing, a cankerous thing;
A gay gowd ring’s a cankerous thing,
Aboot the merry-matanzie.

Noo they’re merried, we’ll wish them joy,
Wish them joy, wish them joy,
Noo they’re merried, we’ll wish them joy,
Aboot the merry-matanzie.

Faither an mither they maun obey,
Maun obey, maun obey,
Faither an mither they maun obey,
Aboot the merry-matanzie.

Loving ilk ither like sister an brither,
Sister an brither, sister and brither;
Lovin ilk ither like sister an brither,
Aboot the merry-matanzie.

We pray the couple tae kiss thegither,
Kiss thegither, kiss thegither;
We pray the couple tae kiss thegither,
Aboot the merry-matanzie.

fa = fall
merry-matanzie = espression in girls’ singing game
maun = must

Come visit the Mama Lisa’s World U.K. Page for some children’s songs from Scotland.

Happy St. Andrew’s Day!

-Lisa

Share on Facebook and other services:

Posted in Aboot the Merry-Matanzie, Holidays Around the World, Languages, Scotland, Scottish, Scottish Children's Songs, St. Andrew's Day | No Comments »

Scottish Rhyme – I’ll Tell Ma Mither

Wednesday, September 28th, 2005

Gillian wrote me,

The following is a Scottish rhyme that I was brought up hearing. I’m afraid I don’t know how it originated…

I’LL TELL MA MITHER

My mother said I never should
Play with the gipsies in the wood
They tugged my hair and broke my comb
I’ll tell my mither when I get home.
My mither says that I must go
With my daddy’s dinner, oh.
Chappit tatties, beef and steak,
Twa reed herrin’ and a bawbee bake.
I cam’ til a river and I couldna get across,
So I paid five bob for an auld done horse.
I jamped on his back; and his banes gae a crack.
And I had tae play the fiddle til the boat cam’ back.

-Gillian

If anyone has any information about the origin of this rhyme, please write me.

Thanks! – Lisa

For other Scottish rhymes and children’s songs, visit Mama Lisa’s World’s U.K. Page!

Share on Facebook and other services:

Posted in Countries & Cultures, I'll Tell Ma Mither, Languages, Nursery Rhymes, Nursery Rhymes About Animals, Nursery Rhymes About Horses, Rhymes by Theme, Scotland, Scottish, Scottish Nursery Rhymes | 2 Comments »

Blog Home

This is the Scottish Archive Page

Categories

My Tweets

Archive for the 'Scottish' Category

Contents

Posts

This Life’s an Enchanted Fairy Land…

Traditional Scottish Music Downloads

Scottish Gaelic Nursery Rhymes or Songs

“Three Craws”, a Children’s Song from Scotland

Please Send An Endearing Term for Grandma and Grandpa in Your Language

“Auld Lang Syne” for New Year’s Eve

St. Andrew’s Day

Scottish Rhyme – I’ll Tell Ma Mither