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The Muckin’ O’ Geordie’s Byre jig

Also known as The Cleansing Of George’s Cowshed, Glounreagh, Glounreagh Slide, The Glounreagh, He Muckin O Geordie’s Byre, Jordie, Jordie’s, The Muckin O Geordie’s Byre, The Muckin O’ Geordie’s Byre, Muckin O’Geordie’s Byre, Muckin’ Of Geordie’s Byre, The Muckin’ Of Geordie’s Byre, Mucking O’ Geordie’s Byre, The Mucking O’ Geordie’s Byre, Mucking Of Geordie’s Byre, The Mucking Of Geordie’s Byre, Mucking Out Geordie’s Byre, Mucking Out The Byre, O’ Lassie Are You Sleeping?, Strip The Willow.

There are 27 recordings of a tune by this name.

A tune by this name has been recorded together with I Will If I Can (a few times), Stephanie Wilkerson’s (a few times), Cock O’ The North (a few times), Haste To The Wedding (a few times) and Hot Punch (a few times).

The Muckin’ O’ Geordie’s Byre has been added to 7 tune sets.

The Muckin' O' Geordie's Byre has been added to 163 tunebooks.

Download ABC

Three settings

X: 1
T: The Muckin' O' Geordie's Byre
R: jig
M: 6/8
L: 1/8
K: Dmaj
|:ABA AFA|d2e f2a|g2e f2d|e2d Bcd|
ABA AFA|d2e f2g|afd efe|d3 dcB:|
|:g2g gab|f2f fga|efe ede|fed Bcd|
ABA AFA|d2e f2g|afd efe|ded d3:||
X: 2
T: The Muckin' O' Geordie's Byre
R: jig
M: 6/8
L: 1/8
K: Dmaj
ABA AFA | d2 e f2 a | g2 e f2 d | e2 d Bcd |
ABA AFA | d2 e f2 g | afd efe | d3 :|
g>ag gag | f>af faf | e2 e efg | fed BdB |
ABA AFA | d2 e f2 g | afd efe | d3 :|
X: 3
T: The Muckin' O' Geordie's Byre
R: jig
M: 6/8
L: 1/8
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 |]

Nine comments

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…

Posted by .

Mucking Out The Byre

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

“The Muckin’ O’ Geordie’s Byre” ~ a submission by proxy, for FIDDLE4

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…

“The Muckin’ O’ Geordie’s Byre” ~ rescued duplication

~ /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.