Killiecrankie

From monologues.co.uk

Oh, years ago I used to be the smartest chap as you would see
The Prince of Wales he wanted me to go and join the army
Now I'm turning old and frail, like a dog without a tail
And it's all through Jane McPhail the lass o' Killiecrankie.

Too-ral-oo-ral-oo-ral-oo
Fal-the duddle-al-the duddledy
She's as sweet as honey-dew
The lass o' Killiecrankie.

Oh, one day I was 'cutting it fat', and as she passed I raised my hat
And as her little nose was flat, I handed her my 'hankey'
'Jane,' said I 'You're looking smart, could you masticate a tart?'
She smiled a smole near broke my heart - the lass o' Killiecrankie

Oh, may be I was acting rash, when I tried her waist to squash
She said, 'Although you're on the mash, stop your hankey-pankey.'
She said that married we would be, then she heaved a sigh, you see
Then she heaved a brick at me, on the hills o' Killiecrankie.

Oh, I was kilted to the knee, 'Jock, my dear,' she said to me
'We'll sit down two hours or three,' said I, 'My darling, thank ye.'
But very soon I changed my tune, for on a thistle I sat doon
And I nearly jumped up to the moon on the hills o' Killiecrankie.

Killiecrankie was the site of a famous battle during the Jacobite rebellion of 1689 and has often featured in songs, probably the most famous is The Braes of Killiecrankie (often also just called Killiecrankie, RN8187) – a song sometimes attributed to Robert Burns, though its likely that he modified an earlier song or poem. There are many other songs with Killiecrankie in the title- including this one which has been been collected from Scottish, Irish, English and Canadian traditional singers. Its not unknown for the Lauder song to be confused with Burns’ song or one of the others. Traditional performers also have sometimes added various additional verses to Lauder’s original, which means it can be difficult to know which song you are listening to.

The Killiecrankie given above (a.k.a The Lass o’ Killiecrankie) was written, composed and sung by the prominent Scots comedian Harry Lauder.He started performing the song in 1900, as noted in this review of an appearance in Birmingham, (down the bill from Florrie Gallimore):

Lauder first recorded the song in around 1908 when it was released by Zonophone Records, London.

Like so many of Lauder’s songs, this one was widely sung by servicemen in World War one.

Fragments of Lauder’s Killiecrankie appear in the comic song The Braes of Killiecrankie, as sung by the influential Scottish traveller singer Jeannie Robertson.

Brendan Behan and Ewan MacColl sang Join the British Army – which may be a parody of this song – follow the link to find out more.

Sources:

• VWML entry
• Kilgarrif Sing Us
• Lyrics: monologues.co.uk
• Sheet Music: New York Public Library Digital Collection
• Ballad Index Entry
• British Newspaper Archive
• The Greig Duncan folk-song collection 4
• Selected evidence of WW1 servicemen singing The Lass of Killiecrankie can be found in: James Kilpatrick (1914) Atkins at war, as told in his own letters; unknown author (1914) “War on Games” in New Statesman Sept 12, 1914, p680; A corporal of the Black Watch (1920) “Harry Lauder Songs” in The war stories of Private Thomas Atkins
• Mainly Norfolk entry
• Linda McVicar (2012) Sangstories – Stories of Scottish Songs Tales of Scottish traditional and newer songs sung by Sangschule of Linlithgow
• https://www.tobarandualchais.co.uk/track/91305?l=en

Last Updated on June 25, 2023 by John Baxter | Published: June 19, 2023