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Brochan Lom
Scottish song
"Brochan Lom" is a Scottish Gaelic nonsense song about porridge. The tune is popular and appears frequently at Scottish country dances and ceilidhs. It falls into the category of "mouth music" (Puirt a beul), used to create music for dancing in the absence of instruments. It is a strathspey song and is commonly sung or played for the Highland Schottische (a popular ceilidh dance),[1] and for the Highland Fling.
As an instrumental tune, Brochan Lom is also known as The Orange And Blue, Katy Jones’, Kitty Jones, Kitty Jones’, The Orange & Blue Highland, Orange And Blue, The Orange And Blue Highland Fling.[2]
Lyrics
The words vary in different traditions but a common variant is:
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English translation
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- Brochan lom, tana lom, brochan lom na sùghain
- Brochan lom, tana lom, brochan lom na sùghain
- Brochan lom, tana lom, brochan lom na sùghain
- Brochan lom 's e tana lom 's e brochan lom na sùghain
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- Séist
- Brochan tana, tana, tana, brochan lom na sùghain
- Brochan tana, tana, tana, brochan lom na sùghain
- Brochan tana, tana, tana, brochan lom na sùghain
- Brochan lom 's e tana lom 's e brochan lom na sùghain
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- Thugaibh aran dha na gillean leis a' bhrochan sùghain
- Thugaibh aran dha na gillean leis a' bhrochan sùghain
- Thugaibh aran dha na gillean leis a' bhrochan sùghain
- Brochan lom 's e tana lom 's e brochan lom na sùghain
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- Séist
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- Seo an rud a gheibheamaid o nighean gobh' an dùine,
- Seo an rud a gheibheamaid o nighean gobh' an dùine,
- Seo an rud a gheibheamaid o nighean gobh' an dùine,
- Brochan lom 's e tana lom, 's e brochan lom sùghain.
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- Séist
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- Porridge thin and meagre, porridge thin from sowans.
- Porridge thin and meagre, porridge thin from sowans.
- Porridge thin and meagre, porridge thin from sowans.
- Porridge thin, it is meagre and thin, it is porridge thin from sowans.
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- Chorus
- Meagre and thin porridge, thin, thin, meagre porridge
- Meagre and thin porridge, thin, thin, meagre porridge
- Meagre and thin porridge, thin, thin, meagre porridge
- Porridge thin, it is meagre and thin, it is porridge thin from sowans.
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- Give ye bread to the young men with sowans-gruel,
- Give ye bread to the young men with sowans-gruel,
- Give ye bread to the young men with sowans-gruel,
- Porridge thin, it is meagre and thin, it is porridge thin from sowans.
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- Chorus
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- This is what we used to get from the smith's daughter at the Dun
- This is what we used to get from the smith's daughter at the Dun
- This is what we used to get from the smith's daughter at the Dun
- Porridge thin, it is meagre and thin, it is porridge thin from sowans.
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- Chorus
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"This above was a jocular song that arose about some ill-made porridge, which being very thin was declared to be like gruel, or even 'sowans' (the fermented juice of oatmeal husks boiled, in bygone times a favourite article of food in Scotland."[3]
Use in movies
Recordings
- The Highland Council website "Am Baile: Highland history and culture" has two versions:
- a version with voice and piano from the CD Cluich Còmhla – Òrain is Ranna where the words are very clearly pronounced.
- a version sung by Christina Stewart with instrumental accompaniment, from the album Bairn's Kist (2011).
External links
Notes
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