The Muckin’ O’ Geordie’s Byre jig

A Scottish border tune - sometimes played as a bagpipe march. The Clarke Tin Whistle Tutor mentions that there is a song set to this tune, and it gives the refrain (which fits to the B-part) as:

The (something…. I can’t remember what) was dint,
The besom was deen,
The barra widna row its leen,
Siccan a sarsies nivver was seen,
At the muckin’ o’ Geordie’s byre.

Look in your Border Scots dictionary for a translation.

Incidentally, it has a close cousin in Denis Murphy’s Slide - the A-part, at least.

“Mucking out the Byre”??
This one was surely always known as the Muckin’ o Geordies Byre, only a self concious Englishman would call it anything less!
I have the words somewhere, I’ll see if I can find them…

The first line of the chorus is “The graip was tint,the beezom was deen….”..

The following is as his band “Haste To The Wedding” plays it. The transcription is from:

Richard Robinson’s Tunebook
http://www.leeds.ac.uk/music/Info/RRTuneBk/tunebook.html

Z: Richard Robinson
F: http://www.leeds.ac.uk/music/Info/RRTuneBk/gettune/00000a08.abc

X:619
T: The Mucking O’ Geordie’s Byre
M: 6/8
L: 1/8
R: Jig
K: D
|: dcB |
ABA AFA | d2 e f2 a | g2 e f2 d | e2 d Bcd |
ABA AFA | d2 e f2 g | afd efe | d3 :|
|: def |
g>ag gag | f>af faf | e2 e efg | fed BdB |
ABA AFA | d2 e f2 g | afd efe | d3 :|

The A part of this tune also is a song called Isle of My Heart (with a few minor variations of notes…

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FAY1kZFqot4

play video

~ /tunes/11855
Submitted on March 24th 2012 by Sean B..
https://thesession.org/members/51985

X: 3
T: Gan Ainm
M: 6/8
L: 1/8
R: jig
K: Dmaj
|: A2 B AFA | d3 def | g2 e f2 d | e2 d Bcd |
A2 B AFA | def g2 b | afd efe |[1 d3 dcB :|[2 d3 def ||
|: g3 gab | f3 fga | e2 f ede | fed Bcd |
A2 B AFA | def g2 b | afd efe |[1 d3 def :|[2 d3-d3 |]

I heard it many years ago on a Tenpenny album. I’ve since lost the album. Tenpenny is a band from Utah formed in 1972. I can’t find any of their music online, unfortunately.

# Posted on March 24th 2012 by Sean B.

The graip* wis tint, the besom wis deen,
The barra widna row its leen,
An’ siccan a soss it (n)ever was seen,
At the muckin’ o Geordie’s byre.

*Some versions say “graim”.

The fork was mislaid, the broom was past its best,
The wheelbarrow was unable to convey its load,
And such a frightful mess was to be seen,
At the cleansing of George’s cowshed.

“Look in your Border Scots dictionary for a translation.”

You might be better looking further north east - Oldmeldrum or thereaboots.

Connie O’Connell - Ceol Cill Na Martra

Line 3 bar 2 and line and line 4 bar 1 what is the odd double note?

Hello Michael,
the melody is the higher note.

Does this count as an alternate title for Glounreagh Slide/Muckin’ o’ Geordie’s Byre? https://thesession.org/tunes/1110

From the playing of The Celtic Fiddlers.

This is Jerry Holland’s version of the tune.