As sin as she'd said it I hae'd mind o' an oul rhyme ma da ust tae say aboot tha Greba (Greyabbey) lasses.
Wha saw tha Greba lasses,
Wha saw them gan awa,
Wha saw the Greba lasses,
Ganin doon tha Hard Breid Raa.
Some o thaim haed buits and stockins,
Some o thaim haed nane ava.
Some o thaim haed big bare arses,
Ganin doon tha Hard Breid Raa.
Jean Weir (88 years of age) reciting a poem she learned at a young age "The Greba Lasses".
*This excellent recital by a by Jean Weir comes from GinaCully1990 on Youtube
Weel, my ain hoose, whaur A leeve is nummer yin Hard Breid Raa in Greba. Jeanie Weir wus a nighbour tae she went tae leeve in the oul folks hame neat Ballyhalbert whaur this recoardin wus daen. A guid post, Aul Han, that haes brocht bak monie memries.
ReplyDeleteA mine a yairn A wus toul here in Greba aboot tha new mannyster wi a pooerfu singin voice that cum tae Greba yin time. He tuk yin o tha oul folk tae tha side an axt her if she knowed a sang caad 'Ocht Ava'. "Na" wus tha answer. "Well then", tha mannyster axt, "how is it that everytime I'm asked to sing a song, and I ask what the people would like to hear, they always say - just sing 'Ocht Ava'!"