The Toon o Dalry

Original Track ID

SA1955.19.A4

Original Tape ID

SA1955.019

Summary

In this music-hall-style song, Geordie Weir from Dalry in Ayrshire visits Glasgow to see friends he has not seen for a long time. His experience is marred by a dog using his leg as a lamp-post as he is looking in a shop window, and he is unable to find a place to sleep on the first night as he has no money. However, he finds a friend who pays for him to stay in a model lodging house, but soon finds the bed infested with insects, and wishes that, had he the price of a train fare, he could return to Dalry.

Item Notes

5 verses. Later versions sung by Belle Stewart use the final verse from this version ("So I wish I wis back aince mair in Dalry") as a chorus, and also contain further verses.

Known variously as 'The Soft Country Chiel', 'The Toon o Dalry' (Roud Folk Song Index no. 5205) or 'Geordie Weir' (Roud 6331). While these have more than one Roud number, they are in fact the same song.


See:
'Till Doomsday in the Afternoon' (MacColl & Seeger, 1986), pp. 245-247. [NB This contains a mis-transcription of "aince mair in Dalry", reading erroneously "in Smarendale Rye".]
'The Sang's the Thing' (Sheila Douglas, 1992), pp. 32-34
'Queen Among the Heather', CD (Belle Stewart, Greentrax Recordings 1998, CDTRAD9055) (reissue of 1976 recordings)

Item Subject/Person

Weir, Geordie

Recording Location

Item Location

Language

Scots

Genre

Song

Collection

SoSS

Classification

R5205 R6331

Source Type

Reel to reel

Audio Quality

Fair