Monday 21 March 2011
Tune of the Day: The Muckin' O' Geordie's Byre
Traditional Scottish jig
According to The Fiddler's Companion, there is some evidence that the original of this tune is from the Hebrides Islands, originally used for the song “Eilean Mo Chridhe”. One of the modern versions of the song goes:
Siccin a sotter was a' body in
Five mile awa ye could hear the din
Even the vera coo had tae grin
At the muckin' o' Geordie's byre.
Scottish singer and entertainer Andy Stewart used to sing this piece with an amusing break in which he translated part of the song into stereotypical English:
Oh such a stramash was there to see,
Five miles away you could hear the melee
Even the domesticated animals were consumed with glee,
At the cleansing of George's cowshed.