DigiTrad: HOO MONY MILES IS IT TAE GLESCA-LEA?

sj

Browse Digitrad Kids Songs

HOO MONY MILES IS IT TAE GLESCA-LEA?

1.
Hoo mony miles is it tae Glesca-Lea?
Sixty, seventy, echty-three.

Will I be there gin canle licht?
Juist if yer legs be lang and ticht.

Open yer gates and let me through!
No withoot a beck and a boo.

There's yer beck and there's yer boo,
Open yer gates and let me through!

2.
"Hoo mony miles tae Babylon?
"Six, or seven, or aucht, or ten."
"Will I get there by caun'le licht?"
"Just if your legs are lang an' ticht."

________________________________________________________

(1) J.M. McBain, Arbroath: Past and Present (1887),
whence SC (1948) 73 (no. 96).
(2) MacLennan SNR (1909), 11.
Moffat 50 TSNR (1933), 29 (with music), = no. 1 above, with
var.: How many miles to Babylon?/ ten, Sir// Yes, and back
again, Sir! -- more resembling the English versions, as also
in Ritchie Golden City (1965), 150 (and 151, variant). There
are two rows facing each other, each singing their own line,
becking (bending backward) and bowing at the appropriate
points. At line 8 Row 2 forms itself into arches, and Row 1
rush through, forming the next Row 2; and so on.
Cf. "Chick my naigie", "King and Queen of Cantelon"; also
"My theerie and my thorie", no. 6. [ODNR ("Babylon"), 63 (no. 26),
with refs.]

@Scottish @kids
filename[ MILEGLES
MS
APR99

PLEASE NOTE: Because of the volunteer nature of The Digital Tradition, it is difficult to ensure proper attribution and copyright information for every song included. Please assume that any song which lists a composer is copyrighted ©. You MUST aquire proper license before using these songs for ANY commercial purpose. If you have any additional information or corrections to the credit or copyright information included, please e-mail those additions or corrections to us (along with the song title as indexed) so that we can update the database as soon as possible. Thank You.