Re: [scots-l] Wha Saw the Forty Second etc
Ted Hastings wrote: [Nigel wrote:] Wha saw the tattie howkers, I believe it may originate as hawkers, based on Irish potato sellers. I think the correct word here is actually howkers, from the Scots verb howk, meaning to dig. I've always known it as howkers (and I know very well the meaning), but I have come across a version of the rhyme from c.1914 which mentions tattie HAWKers, referring to Irishmen who would travel to Glasgow to sell potatoes. They probably called it Potato Excavating or some such Anglicism in Edinburgh. Huzzah! Here come the tuber extractors Who could have seen them ging awa? Has anybody seen those potattie lifters Marching within a stone's throw of Royal Terrace? Have you got something against Edinburgh, Ted? -- Nigel Gatherer, Crieff, Scotland [EMAIL PROTECTED] http://www.argonet.co.uk/users/gatherer/ Posted to Scots-L - The Traditional Scottish Music Culture List - To subscribe/unsubscribe, point your browser to: http://www.tullochgorm.com/lists.html
Re: [scots-l] Wha Saw the Forty Second etc
Nigel Gatherer wrote: Wha saw the tattie howkers, Wha saw them gang awa? Wha saw the tattie howkers, .. the Berwick Law? I believe it may originate as hawkers, based on Irish potato sellers. No, it's to 'howk' or dig. Tattie howkers is not just Scottish, it's what they are called throughout northern England for sure (I photographed Irish tattie howkers in Yorkshire in 1968 and that was the title used for the series of pix). David Posted to Scots-L - The Traditional Scottish Music Culture List - To subscribe/unsubscribe, point your browser to: http://www.tullochgorm.com/lists.html
RE: [scots-l] Wha Saw the Forty Second etc
-Original Message- From: Nigel Gatherer [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]] Sent: 19 October 2001 08:53 To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subject: Re: [scots-l] Wha Saw the Forty Second etc Ted Hastings wrote: [Nigel wrote:] Wha saw the tattie howkers, I believe it may originate as hawkers, based on Irish potato sellers. I think the correct word here is actually howkers, from the Scots verb howk, meaning to dig. I've always known it as howkers (and I know very well the meaning), but I have come across a version of the rhyme from c.1914 which mentions tattie HAWKers, referring to Irishmen who would travel to Glasgow to sell potatoes. They probably called it Potato Excavating or some such Anglicism in Edinburgh. Huzzah! Here come the tuber extractors Who could have seen them ging awa? Has anybody seen those potattie lifters Marching within a stone's throw of Royal Terrace? Have you got something against Edinburgh, Ted? Not really, but since I originated near Glasgow, I can never resist the opportunity to push button B, despite having lived in Stirling for the last twenty-odd years. Regards, Ted Posted to Scots-L - The Traditional Scottish Music Culture List - To subscribe/unsubscribe, point your browser to: http://www.tullochgorm.com/lists.html
[scots-l] Wha Saw the Forty Second etc
I have known the following rhyme for many years: Wha saw the Forty-Second, Wha saw them gang awa? Wha saw the Forty-Second, Marching doon the Broomielaw I was speaking to an old whistler last week and we played the tune used for the rhyme, Wha Wadna fecht for Charlie?. He then started singing: Wha saw the tattie howkers, Wha saw them gang awa? Wha saw the tattie howkers, .. the Berwick Law? I believe it may originate as hawkers, based on Irish potato sellers. I've since discovered other variants: Wha saw the cotton-spinners?, which refers to a strike in 1880s Glasgow. Another goes Wha saw the Forty-Second, Wha saw them gang awa? Wha saw the Forty-Second, Gaein' tae the wappenshaw. [wappenshaw = military parade] Some o' them gat chappit tatties, Some o' them gat nane ava; Some o' them gat barley bannocks, Gaein' tae the wappenshaw. Wha saw the Forty-Second (etc) Some o' them had tartan troosers, Some o' them had nane ava; Some o' them had green umbrellas, Marchin' doon the Broomielaw. Other variants mention the Zulu war and Wha saw the bonnie lassies (Some had shoes and stockings on, ithers they had nane at a' which is supposed to have referred to a pleasure boat tragedy. I'm sure some of the folk on the list have heard other variants. -- Nigel Gatherer, Crieff, Scotland [EMAIL PROTECTED] http://www.argonet.co.uk/users/gatherer/ Posted to Scots-L - The Traditional Scottish Music Culture List - To subscribe/unsubscribe, point your browser to: http://www.tullochgorm.com/lists.html
Re: [scots-l] Wha Saw the Forty Second etc
On 18 Oct, Nigel Gatherer [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: Wha saw the tattie howkers, Wha saw them gang awa? Wha saw the tattie howkers, .. the Berwick Law? I believe it may originate as hawkers, based on Irish potato sellers. Or perhaps the Scots verb - howk - to dig, unearth. Philip W -- [EMAIL PROTECTED] Posted to Scots-L - The Traditional Scottish Music Culture List - To subscribe/unsubscribe, point your browser to: http://www.tullochgorm.com/lists.html
RE: [scots-l] Wha Saw the Forty Second etc
-Original Message- From: Nigel Gatherer [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]] Sent: 18 October 2001 21:03 To: Scots-L Posting Subject: [scots-l] Wha Saw the Forty Second etc I have known the following rhyme for many years: Wha saw the Forty-Second, Wha saw them gang awa? Wha saw the Forty-Second, Marching doon the Broomielaw I was speaking to an old whistler last week and we played the tune used for the rhyme, Wha Wadna fecht for Charlie?. He then started singing: Wha saw the tattie howkers, Wha saw them gang awa? Wha saw the tattie howkers, .. the Berwick Law? I believe it may originate as hawkers, based on Irish potato sellers. I've heard many variants of this. However, I think the correct word here is actually howkers, from the Scots verb howk, meaning to dig. It's interesting that this should come up this week, as many schools in Scotland are on their October Week holiday. This was originally the tattie howkin' week and I know several people who remember doing this. They probably called it Potato Excavating or some such Anglicism in Edinburgh. Regards, Ted Posted to Scots-L - The Traditional Scottish Music Culture List - To subscribe/unsubscribe, point your browser to: http://www.tullochgorm.com/lists.html
