Johnny Lad
Track Information
Original Track ID
SA1953.243.A3e
Original Tape ID
Summary
A nonsense street song collected in Glasgow [by A. L. Lloyd]:
In this comic or nonsense song we hear silly stories about various historical personages, including Samson, who "focht wi cuddies' jaws" [the jawbones of asses] and wore "crimson flannel drawers". Nineveh "scratched oot baith his eyes" then "scratched them in again". Napoleon ruled the land and sea, but not Polmadie. The Queen played football "wi the lads in Glasgow Green", but was a sore loser, and singling out the lead scorer of the other team, "clapped him in the jyle". The singer says that Johnny is the best lad, and she should know, having had twenty-nine before.
Item Notes
8 couplets with a refrain of 2 lines.
See:
'Scotland Sings' (E. MacColl, 1953) pp. 151-152
Ord pp. 168-169
'Singing Island' (E. MacColl & P. Seeger, 1960) p. 10
'Ancient Ballads and Songs' vol. 2 (P. Buchan, 1828, 1875) pp. 146-147
Recording Location
County - Midlothian
Parish - Edinburgh
Village/Place - Edinburgh
Language
English, Scots
Genre
Collection
Classification
Source Type
Reel to reel
Audio Quality
Fair