OT?"Always Room for One More"--Old Scottish song w/lesson?

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Found this old Scottish ballad in a book of my daughter's. Written down from oral tradition by Sorche Nic Leodhas. I guess everything makes me think of Y2K now, but this one was particular food for thought:

1. There was a wee house in the heather-- 'Twas a bit o' a but and a ben-- And in it there lived all together Lachie MacLachlan And his good wife, And his bairns to the number of ten. "There's a fire on the hearthstone to warm me, And porridge to spare in the pot," Said Lachie. "The weather is stormy, So me and my wife And our ten bairns, Will be sharing whatever we've got."

So he hailed every traveler that passed by his door. Said Lachie MacLachlan, "There's room galore. Och, come awa' in! There's room for one more, Always room for one more!"

A tinker came first, then a tailor, And a sailor with line and lead; A gallowglass and a fishing lass, With a creel o' fish on her head; A merry auld wife full o' banter, Four peat-cutters up from the bog, Piping Rury the Ranter, and a sheperd laddie Down from the brae, With his canny wee sheperd dog.

He hailed them all as he stood at the door. Said Lachie MacLachlan, "There's room galore. Och, come awa' in! There's room for one more, Always room for one more!"

2. Rury's pipes set the rafters a-ringing Till the clock danced a reel on the shelf, And they all fell to dancing and singing, And the little dog danced by himself. Och, the walls they bulged out and bulged in then, The walls they bulged in and out. There will never be heard such a din, then, As came from the folks In the wee little house While they rollicked and frolicked about.

They filled all the house up from door to door, But Lachie cried out, "There's room galore. 'Twould be a tight fit, but there's room for one more, Always room for one more!"

Then the rafters they clappit like thunder, And folks in the nearby town Stood stock-still to listen and wonder, When the wee little house With its but and its ben And its walls and its roof DINGED DOWN! Then the tinker and the tailor, And the sailor with line and lead; The gallowglass, and the fishing lass, With the creel o' fish on her head; The auld wife full o' banter, The four peat-cutters up from the bog,

3. Piping Rury the Ranter, And the sheperd laddie down from the brae, With his canny wee sheperd dog, AND Lachie MachLachlan, His good wife, And his bairns to the number of ten, They all tumbled out again!

And they gowked at the place where the house stood before. "Och, Lachie," they cried, "there was room galore, But worry and woe, there's no room no more, Never no room no more!"

They wailed for a while in the heather, As glum as a grumpetie grouse, Then they shouted, "Have done with this blether! For Lachie MacLachlan, His wife and his bairns, We'll raise up a bonny new house." The house that they raised from the auld one Was double as wide and as high. Should an army come by it could hauld one, With Lachie MacLachlan, His wife and his bairns, And whoever else happened by.

And then the whole lot of them stood at the door, And merrily shouted, "There's room galore! Now there will always be room for one more, Always room for one more!"

-- preparing (preparing@home.com), November 20, 1999

Answers

Thanks preparing,

That brightens my day.

-- LM (latemarch@usa.net), November 21, 1999.


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