The Lame Old Man and the Blind Old Woman

This rather amusing musical anecdote was collected by Calum Maclean from John MacDonald of Highbridge on the 8th of March 1951:

 

Bha bodach crùbach a’ fuireach thall ann an Sròn na Bà. Bha e a’ falbh air bataichean agus bha tè dhall ann an sin na coimhearsnach.

 

“Smaointich mi,” thuirt i, “gur tu a bha a’ tighinn le do bhataichean agus ceum agus leth-cheum agad.”

 

“O, cha ruig thu a leas a bhith a’ dèanadh tàir orm-sa, ged a tha mi crùbach.”

 

“O, cha ruig. Tha port glè laghach a’ dol, thuirt i:

 

An gille crùbach as a’ ghleann,
Till a-nall na caoraich uile,
An gille crùbach as a’ ghleann,
Till a-nall na caoraich.

 

Ged tha thu crùbach, tha thu cam,
’S iomadh tè tha an geall air t’ fhaighinn.
Ged tha thu crùbach, tha thu cam,
Is iomadh tè tha an geall ort.

 

“O, sguiridh tu dhe do phuirt,” thuirt e. “Tha port eile ann agus tha e glè laghach cuideachd, a Mhàiri”: 

 

Thug mi trì turasan gu dol air mullach Màiri,
Thug mi trì turasan gu dol air mullach Màiri,
Thug mi trì turasan gu dol air mullach Màiri,
Is turas do na turasan gun d’fhuirich mi air Màiri!

 

“Uist, na bi a’ bruidheann mar sin. Gabh do rathad is na bi a’ teileabanachd na a’ toirt domh-sa do dhroch theanga. Latha math leat.” 

 

Is dh’fhalbh i a-staigh.

 

And the translation goes something like the following:

 

An old lame man stayed over at Stronaba and one of his neighbours was a blind old woman.

She said: “I knew it was you coming by the step and half-step of your walking sticks.”

He said: “There's no need to insult me even though I’m lame.”

She replied: “No, there is a fine tune that goes with these words.”

 

The lame lad in the glen

Come over with all the sheep,

The lame lad in the glen,

Come over with the sheep.

 

Although you are lame and squint-eyed

Many a woman wanted to have you

Although you are lame and crooked

Many a woman are pledged to you.

 

He said: “Stop singing the tune. There’s another song which is very fine, Mary.”

 

Three times I went on top of Mary,

Three times I went on top of Mary

Three times I went on top of Mary

And one of the times I stayed on top of Mary!

 

“Wheest, don’t talk like that. Away with you and your impertinence and don’t give me any more lip. Good day to you.”

 

And she went indoors.

 

The first tune are the words to ‘Gille Crùbach as a’ Ghleann’, sometimes ‘Calum Crùbach as a’ Ghleann’ and was sung to the strathspey ‘Miss (Sarah) Drummond of Perth’. Andrew Mackintosh in a contribution to the Transactions of the Gaelic Society of Inverness writes as follows:

 

The tune was claimed by Neil Gow, or by his son for him, and it is quite possible that the claim may be good one, for although the Gows were repeatedly convicted of plagiarism, I am not aware that any trace of this tune had been found elsewhere before the Gows published it.

 

The Gaelic words consists of an admonition to a squinting, lame lad to keep his sheep in his own side of the glen, and he is told that if one of his eyes is defective, the other is good enough to enable him to see that his sheep are straying.

 

Whether or not these lines have any reference to the advent of the Lowland shepherd and Cheviot sheep into the Highlands there is nothing to indicate, but this seems to me probable.

 

“’Ile chrùbaich anns a ghleann,

Till a nall na caoraich uile;

’Ille chrùbaich anns a’ ghleann,

Till a nall na caoraich.”

 

“Ged a tha do leth-shuil cam,

Chi thu leis an t-suil ud eile;

Ged a tha do leth-shuil cam,

Chi thu leis an t-aon suil.”

 

The version given by Mackintosh may be translated as follows:

 

Lame lad in the glen;

Come over with all the sheep,

Lame lad in the glen;

Come over with all the sheep,

 

Though you squint with one eye

You can see with the other one,

Though you squint with one eye

You can see with the other one.
 

References:

Andrew Mackintosh, ‘English and Gaelic Words to Strathspeys and Reels’, Transactions of the Gaelic Society of Inverness, vol. XXVIII (1912–14), p. 317

SSS NB 7, pp. 60–11

Image:

Stronaba / Sròn na Bà, Lochaber / Loch Abar