Back to List of Songs Notes

CALLER HERRIN' Lead: Richard

Learned from Australian singer Danny Spooner who we met at the 2005 Mystic Seaport Sea Music Festival. This is about the cry of Scottish fisher women as they paraded the day's catch for sale.

LYRICS:

Chorus:
Buy my caller herrin', they're bonny fish and halesome farin'
Buy my caller herrin', new drawn frae the Forth

Noo when ye're sleeping on your pillow
Think ye oot o' oor brave fellows
Darkling o'er the stormy billows
A' tae fill our woven willows

And when the bonny creel it passes
Ladies dressed in silks and laces
Gather in their braw pelisses
Turn their heads and screw their faces

Noo neighbors wives come tent me telling
When the bonny fish ye're selling
At yer word be a' yer dealing
Truth will stand when a' things failing

NOTES:

Learned from Australian singer Danny Spooner who we met when we performed at the Mystic Seaport Sea Music Festival in 2005. Danny learned the song from a friend of his mother, a Mrs. McColl. This is a traditional version of a song written by Lady Nairne (Carolina Oliphant, 1766-1845) in the first half of the 19th century and the words reflect her great regard for the Scottish fisher-folk. "Caller herrin" or fresh herring was the cry of the fisher women as they paraded the day's catch for sale. Prior to her death in 1845 she had published her works under the pseudonym of "Bogan of Bogan." The air was composed by Neil Gow, the Scottish fiddler.

I found two other versions of this song via the Internet:

Caller Herrin'
Version 1, from the site "Traditional Scottish Songs"

Chorus:
Wha'll buy my caller herrin'?
They're bonnie fish and halesome farin';
Wha'll buy my caller herrin',
New drawn frae the Forth?

When ye were sleepin' on your pillows,
Dream'd ye aught o' our puir fellows,
Darkling as they fac'd the billows,
A' to fill the woven willows
Buy my caller herrrin',
New drawn frae the Forth

Wha'll buy my caller herrin'?
They're no brought here without brave darin';
Buy my caller herrin',
Hau'l through wind and rain

Wha'll buy my caller herrin'?
Oh, ye may ca' them vulgar farin'
Wives and mithers, maist despairin'
Ca' them lives o' men

When the creel o' herrin' passes,
Ladies clad in silks and laces,
Gather in their braw pelisses,
Cast their heads and screw their faces

Caller herrin's no got lightlie
Ye can trip the spring fu' tightlie
Spite o' tauntin', flauntin', flingin'
Gow had set you a' a-singing

Neebour wives, now tent my tellin';
When the bonnie fish ye're sellin',
At ae word be in yere dealin' –
Truth will stand when a' thin's failin'

Caller Herrin'
Version 2, from the site "Glasgow Guide"
Carolina Oliphant, (Lady Nairne), 1766-1845

Wha'll buy my caller herrin'?
They're bonnie fish and halesome farin';
Wha'll buy my caller herrin',
New drawn frae the Forth.

When ye were sleepin' on your pillows,
Dream'd ye aught o' our puir fellows,
Darkling as they faced the billows,
A' to fill the woven willows.

Wha'll buy my caller herrin'?
New drawn frae the Forth.

Wha'll buy my caller herrin'?
They're no' brought here without brave darin',
Buy my caller herrin',
Haul'd through wind and rain

Wha'll buy my caller herrin'?
New drawn frae the Forth.

Wha'll buy my caller herrin'?
Oh, ye may ca' them vulgar farin',
Wives and mithers maist despairin',
Ca' them lives o' men

Wha'll buy my caller herrin'?
New drawn frae the Forth.

When the creel o' herrin' passes,
Ladies, clad in silks and laces,
Gather in their braw pelisses,
Cast their heads and screw their faces

Wha'll buy my caller herrin'?
New drawn frae the Forth.

Wha'll buy my caller herrin'?
They're bonnie fish and halesome farin';
Wha'll buy my caller herrin',
New drawn frae the Forth.

Glossary of Scottish words:

braw pelisses = beautiful mantles
caller = freshly caught
creel = basket
frae = from
Gow = Niel Gow, the fiddle player
halesome farin' = wholesome food
mithers = mothers
puir fellows = poor fellows
tent = heed
trip the spring fu' tightlie = dance the jig very neatly