{"id":6664,"date":"2020-11-08T15:49:48","date_gmt":"2020-11-08T15:49:48","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/folksongandmusichall.com\/?page_id=6664"},"modified":"2026-05-03T09:29:08","modified_gmt":"2026-05-03T09:29:08","slug":"jock-mgraw-the-fattest-man-in-the-forty-twa","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"http:\/\/folksongandmusichall.com\/index.php\/jock-mgraw-the-fattest-man-in-the-forty-twa\/","title":{"rendered":"Jock M\u2019Graw, The Fattest Man in the Forty Twa"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
AKA<\/strong><\/td>Jock McGraw
The Fattest Ma in the Forty Twa<\/td><\/tr>
First Published<\/td>1908<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

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Writer\/composer<\/td>Harry Linn<\/td>Roud<\/strong><\/td>RN1877<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

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Music Hall Performers<\/strong><\/td>Harry Linn<\/td><\/tr>
Folk performances<\/strong><\/td>Source Singers<\/strong>
Strachan, John 1951 Scotland : Abderdeenshire
Dean, Stan 1970 Australia : Cairns
Modern performances<\/strong>
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John Macraw<\/strong>  (The fattest man in the Forty-Twa)<\/strong>\nWritten and Composed by HARRY LINN, Arranged by CHARLES W CURTISS.\n\nNoo I'm a noble soldier bold\nAnd only twenty five years old,\nA braver warrior ne'er was seen,\nFrae Inverness tae Gretna Green,\nWhen I was young my faither said,\nHe'd put me tae a decent trade,\nI didna like hard work at a'\nSo left and join'd the Forty-Twa.\n \nThe wind may blaw and the cock may craw,\nThe rain may rain and the snaw may snaw,\nYe couldna frichten John Macraw,\nThe fattest man in the Forty-Twa.<\/em>\n\nThe sergeant when he 'listed me,\nHe winked his e'e and then says he,\n\"A man like you sae stoot and tall,\nCould n'er be killed by cannon-ball.\"\nThe Captain then tae me came roun'\nHe looked me up and looked me doon,\nAnd shouts \"Here sergeant, why, you scamp,\nYou've found a lamp-post out on tramp.\"\n                \nIn oor last fecht across the sea,\nThe Gen'ral he sent hame for me,\nWhen I went there wi' my big gun\nOf course the battle it was won.\nThe enemy a' ran awa'\nWhen they saw the legs o' John Macraw,\nA man like me sae smart and neat\nYe ken yersel could n'er be beat.\n \nThe King then held a Grand Review,\nWe mustered sixty thoosand too,\nThe Kilty Lads went trotting past\nAnd John Macraw, he marched the last,\nThe Royal Party grabb'd their spec's\nAnd they began to stretch their necks,\nThe King cries \"Col'nel!'pon my soul!\nI took that man for a telegraph pole. <\/pre>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n
Jock McGraw, spelled in various ways,  is a name that comes up regularly in Scottish Music Hall: he features in several songs and was a comic character played by Arthur Lloyd<\/a> in the halls of the 1860s.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The “Gallant Forty Twa”, the 42nd Royal Highland Regiment of Foot, aka The Black Watch<\/em> was a Highland regiment which originated in the 18th century. They and their successors fought in the Napoleonic and Crimean Wars, and also were involved in the brutal suppression of the Indian Rebellion of 1857. They were celebrated in a number of popular songs, including this one and at least two other songs\/variants of songs  which turn up regularly in traditional music, both called The Gallant Forty Twa<\/em>.  One song usually had the first line For it’s noo I am a weaver<\/em> and the other had first-line You may talk about your lancers, or your Irish Fusiliers<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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Jock Macraw<\/em>, as written by Harry Linn, is a different song again. It began life as a broadly comic song, though it obviously celebrated the tough reputation of the regiment too. Its interesting that later renditions, after passing through the oral tradition, changed “fattest<\/em>” to “stoutest<\/em>” perhaps slightly changing the emphasis of the song. It seems not to have been published until several years after Linn’s death.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n
WF Frame, the celebrated “Scotch comic” recalled Linn’s singing:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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 He was a jocular genius in his line. I will never forget his rendering of “Jock M’Craw the Fattest Man in the Forty Twa.” Imagine a comedian about six feet high, and as slender as they make them, singing that song:
“Says the Queen to the Colonel, upon my soul
I took that man for a telegraph pole.”<\/p>\nWF Frame  Tells  his story<\/cite><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n
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Kilgarriff lists a song: “Jock McGrau<\/em>” as written and sung by Will Terry aka Alf Gordon (pub date 1906). This is almost certainly a misspelling of Jock McGraw – and a recording of the song<\/a> (“Forty Twos”)<\/em>may have been made by Alf Gordon (“The Welsh Harry Lauder<\/em>“) in the early 2oth century.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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Robin Hall and Jimmie MacGregor sing The Stoutest<\/span> Man in the Forty Twa<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n
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