Traditional Scottish Songs
- The Muckin' o' Geordie's Byre

This song is usually sung at a fast rate of knots! It originated in the north-east of Scotland and a number of the words are local to that region. As usual, all the unusual words are translated at the end.


The Muckin' o' Geordie's Byre

At a relic aul' croft upon the hill,
Roon the neuk frae Sprottie's mill,
Tryin' a' his life tae jine the kill
Lived Geordie MacIntyre.
He had a wife a swir's himsel'
An' a daughter as black's auld Nick himsel',
There wis some fun-haud awa' the smell
At the muckin' o' Geordie's byre.

Chorus:
For the graim was tint, the besom was deen,
The barra widna row its leen,
An' siccan a soss it never was seen
At the muckin' o Geordie's byre.
For the daughter had to strae and neep
The auld wife started to swipe the greep
When Geordie fell sklite on a rotten neep
At the muckin' o' Geordie's byre.

Ben the greep cam' Geordie's soo
She stood up ahint the coo
The coo kickit oot an' o whit a stew
At the muckin' o' Geordies byre.
For the aul' wife she was booin' doon
The soo was kickit on the croon
It shoved her heid in the wifie's goon
Then ben through Geordie's byre.

Chorus:

The daughter cam thro the barn door
An' seein' her mother let ooot a roar,
To the midden she ran an' fel ower the boar
At the muckin' o' Geordie's byre.
For the boar he lap the midden dyke
An' ower the riggs wi' Geordie's tyke.
They baith ran intill a bumbee's byke
At the muckin' o' Geordie's byre.

Chorus:

O a hunder' years are passed an' mair
Whaur Sprottie's wis, the hill is bare;
The croft's awa' sae ye'll see nae mair
At the muckin' o' Geordie's byre.
His folks a' deid an' awa' lang syne-
In case his memory we should tyne,
Whistle this tune tae keep ye in min'
At the muckin' o' Geordie's byre!

Meaning of unusual words:
muckin=clean
croft=small farmhouse
jine=join
kill=overcome with weariness
swir=unwilling to work
auld Nick=the Devil
tint=lost
besom=broom
deen=done
barra=barrow
widna row its leen= would not hold it's load
siccan=such
soss=dirty wet mess
strae=straw
neep=feed cattle with turnips
swipe=sweep
greep=gutter in the byre
fell sklite=fall heavily
neep=turnip
ben=through
soo=female pig
booin'doon=bending down
goon=gown, dress
midden=refuse heap
riggs=strip of ploughed land
tyke=dog
bumbee's byke=beehive
lang syne=long since
tyne=lose

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