Does anyone know this children's song? I can't find it on the internet.
A Dr Craig who taught music at Moray house college of education had a mine of old Scottish songs for chthe primary school, one of which has been going round in my head today. I think it was called "A grandam's song" and it was sung by a grandma bouncing a baby that stood up on it's feet on her knees. The tune is a strathspey. the words go:-
"On your feetikin, my dear,
On your feetikin, arriye
On your feetikin, my dear,
Ye'll potato liftin' try.
I'll no let ye to the ?xxxx?
I'll no let ye to the ?shore?
But on peats when they are dry,
Ye'll potato liftin' try."
It was still common then (in the 50s/60s) for children in farming areas to be taken out of school for weeks at a time to help when the potatoes were lifted. This bairn was eager to get started! The two things in ?? question marks were other more arduous and possibly dangerous things that the children might have been expected to help at but grandma wasn't going to let baby try those!
Routine or Freewheeling in Retirement?
An interfacting question for all you expert sewers out there!
