This a song a story teller came in to my school to say (he brought a guitar).
Now a deid men seldom walks they very seldom talk
It's no very often you see them runnin aroon
But I am a refugee frae a graveyard in Dundee
And I've come tae haunt Some hooses in Glesca toon
Noo the reason I arose was tae get masel some clothes
Fur it really gets hell o' a cold below the grun (ground)
But then I whispered tae ma sel' I think I might as well
Hang aroon fur a while and have some fun
A man put out his light on a cold and wintery night
I showed him one o' ma ees (eyes) and a slapped his heid
He said “Oh” and I said “Boo” He said who the hell are you
A said don't be feared am only a man that's deid
Noo the fella knelt and prayed and this is what he said
Why in the name o' God have you picked on me
So I pulled away his rug and slapped him wan on the lug
The reason fur that I'll very soon let you see
When he brought the polis in I battered him wan on the chin
The polis turned aroon and he blamed ma fren (friend)
He marched him tae the jail, he'll be in there quite a while
But I'll see naboby steals his single end (a wee house)
The polis thought him daft and a lot o' people laughed
When the fella said a ghost wis in his hoose
But whit the fella said wis true and a might be visiting you
Fur don't forget that I'm still on the lose
It's SCOTTISH.
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6 comments:
A single end is in fact the end house of a terrace. Particularly sought after because it was essentially semi-detached.
Hi Marcel - great that you enjoyed this song - one of my favourites by Glasgow's late folk laureate Matt McGinn.
Despite what Claverhouse says - in Glasgow a "single end" was not sought after as a semi detached end terrace. It was in fact a one room flat (nowadays they would call it studio flat) in a tenement block where the "superior" accommodation consisted mainly of 2 room flats (a room and kitchen) and exceptionally a 2 room and kitchen flat.
Best wishes - keep blogging
John Culbert
My dad used to play the guitar and sing this when I was a wee yin. Thanks though to his foul mouth, I grew up thinking the line was "Who the fuck are you?"
No a single end is the middle part of the upper floor of a tenement building occupying the the space above the stair well.
This song is a belter and when i sing and play it i add in my pal micks name to personalise it for him when he attends our halloween party he is fae dundee and absolutely loves it
The song is by Matt McGinn (1928-77). It first appeared as The Haunted Single End in 1962 then with backing musicians as The Dundee Ghost in 1968.
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