In The Shade of the Lamp
Alex Clarke: On Autumn Harvest ah007
Old Songs & Bothy Ballads: Grand to Be a Working Man
Recorded at the Fife Traditional Singing Festival May 2008.

Learned from the singing of Alec's granny. She told him they were old music hall songs from the repertoire of PP Bell, a well known Dundee music hall entertainer of the 1890s. PP Bell was said to be the natural father of Stuartie Foy who recorded his own composition Coming over the Tay Bridge tae Bonnie Dundee in 1986 (on Springthyme SPR 1017 but not yet on CD) when he was in his 90s.

1: In the shade o the lamp on oor stair,
Ye're share tae find my sister there,
Wi a lad caad Mackay, he's only one eye,
On the tap o his head there's nae hair;
In the shade o that bonnie wee licht,
They're share tae be there every nicht,
For like twa little dears, they've been stannin for years,
In the shade o the lamp on oor stairs.

2: Mary ma Scottish fairy, won't ye come awa wi me?
Won't ye leave yer hills and dales,
Yer bonnie bloomin heather and yer Scotch bluebells?
Come awa wi me tae Bonnie Dundee famed for jam and marmalade,
An ye'll see a lot o funny sights ye've never seen before,
On the esplanade.

3: Sandy MacGregor, the kilt it surely suits yer figure,
When ye're walkin its wavin in the breeze,
And when you go strollin by, You can hear the lassies cry,
He must be awfie cauld aboot the . . . .
Hooch aye, Johnny Walker, Johnny Walker, hooch aye.

4: Wi yer spooran and glengarry, och ye fairly tickled Mary,
But there's one thing makes me sigh,
Oh it's nae yer knees sae bare, nor yer saucy underwear,
That captivates ma fancy when ye're nigh;
It's yer cute little cannie little white-wash brush,
When ye waggle it aboot man it maks me blush,
Johnny Walker, hooch aye.

c p 2009 Autumn Harvest : www.springthyme.co.uk