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    Some Glesca songs page I

Glesca Street Songs
Songs I

I Belong tae Glasgow

Oh where is the Glasgow

 Farewell tae Glasgow
Songs II Cod Liver oil  Jeely Piece song I wish I was in Glasgow
( webmaister singing )
wee bileing pan Derry &
Cumberland boys
Songs III Punk Rocker Welly boot song Wee cock sparra Sam the skull

Songs IV

Glasgow Lullaby

Oh you can come and see the baby

Glasgow

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An old LP I have .........

GLESCA FOLK LP --Davie Shaw / Peter Watters / Eddie McEwan
ARGYLE label cat. no. AR-LP 149 STEREO     (early 1970's)

CONDITION
Sleeve ---  very good --has some wear on the rear - see photo
Record --- Excellent -- has a few surface marks and a small scuff mark on sone 'Cathkin Braes'  that
                  causes a little background noise.  Generally has excellent sound quality.  
                                                                               ~

Matt McGinn    See Matt McGinn songs


 

 

Will Fyffe, the character comedian, was passing through Glasgow's Central Station when a wee Glasgow man who had over-imbibed attracted his attention at the ticket barrier.  "Where do you come from?" Will asked him. The happy drunk beamed all over, emitted a couple of happy hiccups, and replied: "At this very moment, sir... at this very moment I belong tae Glasgow."  Slight pause, then: "Aye, an' know something, sir. Glasgow belongs tae me!" The words echoed in Fyffe's head. That night, in his theatrical digs, he worked on the song and added suitable patter. The resultant song "I Belong to Glasgow"  Now a  famous Glasgow song known & sung the whole world over...belt it oot! 


I BELONG TO GLASGOW
 
    

 
I've been wi' a few o' mah cronies,  one or two pals o' my ain;
We went in a hotel, and we did very well, 
And then we came oot once again;
Then we went into anither,  and that is the reason I'm fu';
We had six deoch-an-doruses, then sang a chorus,  
Just listen....I'll sing it to you:

I belang tae Glesga,   dear old Glesga toon;
But what's the matter wi' Glesga,  for it's goin' roun' and roun'!
I'm only a common old working chap, as anyone here can see,
But when I get a couple o' drinks on a Setterday,
Glesga belangs tae me!!!!!
.

There’s nothing in bein' teetotal, an savin a shillin or two

If your money you spend, you’ve nothing to lend

Isn’t that all the better for you.
Noo there’s nay harm in takin a drappie, 
It saves all your trouble an strife

It gives you the feeling, that when you get hame

You don’t give a hang (damm) for the wife.

.                                                Cheers! fae the webmaister

 

Will Fyffe, wrote the words, recorded it and first sang it in The Pavilion Theatre Glasgow

 

 

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At the opening of the Glasgow Garden Festival in 1988, Prince Charles
with apologies for his lack of Glasgow accent, quoted from a song by  
Scots folk singer Adam McNaughton:-

"Oh where is the Glasgow where I used to stay, with white wally closes, 
done up with pipe clay. Where you knew all your neighbours 
from first floor to third and keeping your door locked was considered absurd"

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Oh where is the Glasgow
( Adam McNaughton )


 

Oh where is the Glasgow where I used to stay
The white wally closes, done up wi' pipeclay
Where you knew every neighbour fae 1st floor tae 3rd
And tae keep yer door locked was considered absurd 
Dae ye ken the folk who stay upstairs fae you?
.

Oh, where is the wean that wance played in the street
Wi' a jaurie, a peerie, a gird wi' a cleat?
Can he still cadge a hudgie or dreep aff a dyke
Or is writin' on wa's noo the wan gemme he likes -
Can he tell chickie mellie fae hunch-cuddie-hunch?

.

 

Oh, where is the wee shop where I used tae buy
A quarter o' tatties, a tuppeny pie,
A bag o' broke biscuits an' three soda scones
And the wumman aye asked "How's yer maw gettin' oan?"
Can yer big supermarket compete wi'a' that?

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Oh, where is the chip shop that I knew sae well
The wee corner cafe, where they used tae sell
Hot pies and brey and McCallums and pokes
And ye knew they were 'Tallys' the minute they spoke -
"Day ye wanta da raspberry owre yer ice-a-da-cream?"

.

 

Oh, where is the tramcar that wance did a ton
Up the London Road on the old Brigton run 
#
The conductress aye knew how tae deal wi' a nyaff
"If yer gaun, then get oan - if yer no' then get aff!"
Are there ony like her on the buses the day

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Oh, where is the Glesga that I used tae know
Big Wullie, Wee Shooie, the steamie the Co.
The shilpit wee bachle, the glaikit big deep
The ba' on the slates and yer gas at a peep -
If ye scrape the veneer aff.....
..............are these things still there?

..

A great wee song eh...? 
.

(# ( Original line is : Up the Great Western Road on the old Yoker run.)
                                                                                  webmaisters poetic license ! 
.
( Adam McNaughton was a pupil of John St Secondary School, became a teacher then songwriter. He has written some wonderful classic Scottish songs.... Jeely Piece Song, Yellow on the Broom..... to name but a few )

..

I was sent a copy of this song by a Glesga Pal which had additional verses, 
I don't know if these are part of the original song or not.

I think o' the days o' my tenement hame 
We've got fancy hooses but they're no jist the same 
I'll swap your gisunders,flyovers and jams 
for a tuppenny ride on the old Glesga trams

Gone is the Glasgow that I used to know
 Big Wullie, wee Shooie, the steamie the Co 
the Shilpit wee bachle, the glaikit big dreep 
Yer baws on the slates and yer gas at a peep 

These days werny rosy and money was tight 
The wages hauf finished by Saturday night 
But still we came through it and weathered the ruts 
and the reason is simple... oor parents had guts.


.

 

April 2007, Norrie Porter, Shrewsbury

.........Just for the sake of completeness, I thought I would drop you a line to say that it's actually a song, by Jim McLean - not the same guy who is gigging now, I don't think.  Iain Mackintosh use to sing it, too, and recorded it on his album Encore.  He used to introduce it by saying that it was written in response to MacNaughtan's "Where is the Glasgow" but without the sentimentality. Iain's words were:--

Farewell to Glasgow
Oh where is the Glasgow I used to know
The tenement buildings that let in the snow
Through the cracks in the plaster the cold wind did blow
And the water we washed in was forty below

We read by the gaslight, we had nae T.V.
Hot porridge for breakfast, cold porridge for tea
And some weans had ricketts, and some had T.B.
Ay that's what the Glasgow of old means tae me

Noo the neighbours complained if we played wi' a ba'
Or 'Hunch cuddy hunch' against somebody's wa'
If we played 'Kick the can' we'd tae watch for the law
For the polis made sure we did sweet bugger a'

You've heard o' the closet that stood on the stair
Oors had tae accommodate fifteen or mair
And the wee broken windae let in the fresh air
I sometimes went inside, ay but just for a dare

And we huddled together tae keep warm in bed
We'd nae sheets nor blankets, just old coats instead
And a big balaclava tae cover yer head
And 'God but it's cold' was the only prayer said

Noo there's some say that tenement living was swell
That's the wally close toffs who had doors wi' a bell
Two rooms and a kitchen and a bathroom as well
While the rest o' us lived in a single-end hell

So wipe off that smile when you talk o' the days
That you lived in the Gorbals or Dalmarnock' way
Remember the mice and the rats you once chased
For tenement living was a bloody disgrace

 

 

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