Brochan Lom

"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:

 English translation
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
 
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
 
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
 
Séist
 
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.
 
Séist
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.
 
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.
 
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.
 
Chorus
 
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.
 
Chorus

"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:

Notes
  1. Learning and Teaching Scotland. "Music of Scotland: Strathspey - Brochan Lom". Archived from the original on 7 August 2010. Retrieved 1 November 2013.CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  2. The Session. "The Orange And Blue reel". Retrieved 1 November 2013.
  3. Frances Tolmie. One Hundred and Five Songs of Occupation from the Western isles of Scotland (1911).
  4. "Whisky Galore - drinking song". Retrieved 1 November 2013.
  5. "The Bridal Path (1959)". IMDb. Retrieved 4 November 2013.
  6. Kennedy, Calum. "Brochan Lom". Retrieved 8 December 2012.
  7. Hall, Robin; Macgregor, Jimmie. "Brochan Lom, Tana Lom / Bodachan A' Mhirein". Retrieved 1 November 2013.
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