A song by Mary Brookbank.
Chorus O, dear me, the mill is running fast And we poor shifters canna get nae rest Shifting bobbins coarse and fine They fairly make you work for your ten and nine. Although small in stature, Mary was an active spokesperson for the working class in general and the jute millworkers in particular.
Since Ewan MacColl introduced it to the folk scene the song has become very popular. Buy the Full Digital Album Includes unlimited streaming via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality download in MP3, FLAC and more.
It was quite common for a married woman to go out to work at the mill, and for her husband to stay at home, looking after the house and children. This also ties in with the theory that the employers, keen to avoid strike action from the male unions, found women 'more manageable'. The Jute Mill Song by Eric Faulkner, released 05 July 2018 Jute Mill Song Oh dear me, the mill's gannin' fast The puir wee shifters canna get a rest Shiftin' bobbins coorse and fine They fairly mak' ye work for your ten and nine Oh dear me, I wish the day was done Rinnin' up and doon the Pass it is nae fun Shiftin', piecin', spinnin' warp weft and twine Tae feed and clad my … SA 1968.317 School of Scottish Studies, University of Edinburgh. Play MIDI.
The shifter was the person who removed full bobbins from the spinning frames and replaced them with empty ones. These workers were also called 'doffers' [...]. Men were due pay rises at the ages of 16, 18 and 21, and employers often preferred to lay men off rather than grant the extra wages. from (Notes 'Presenting [1977:] [This] sprang from the bones of one traditional verse and a great deal of direct personal experience as a child worker.
(Mary Brooksbank, 'No Sae Lang Syne: A Tale of This City', quoted in Henderson/Armstrong 154f)[1986:] By Mary Brooksbank, a former jute mill worker, from her collection of poems entitled 'Sidlaw Breezes'. Oh, dear me, the mill’s gaen fast, The puir wee shifters canna get a rest, Shiftin bobbins coorse and fine, They fairly mak ye … (Gatherer 96)[1991:] This outstanding song was written by the diminutive Mary Brooksbank from Dundee. Includes unlimited streaming via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality downloads of She was an active member of the Communist Party of Great Britain. The Australian pianist offers a meditative collective of gentle instrumental compositions meant to soothe a fraying world. (Notes Ray Fisher, 'Traditional Songs of Scotland')
This great American songwriter sadly passed away this week; listen to his last studio album here. Multi-instrumentalist Eric Faulkner has been writing, singing and performing music for more than 50 years, since playing To quote Nigel Gatherer [...] "Her songs of the mill and the hardships of the jute workforce are from first-hand experience and invaluable in telling the story of the demise of the industry.
Oh Dear Me (The Jute Mill Song) by Mary Brooksbank (1897 –1980) except for the first 3 lines of the chorus, which were already sung in the mills. Oh dear me, I wish the day was done Rinnin' up and doon the Pass it is nae fun They worked up to the last few days before having their bairns.
Gentle ambient music inspired by two decades of living in Los Angeles conceals a sense of joy within its mournful tones. Charlie Lamb heard from his father that 'ten and nine' [ten shillings and ninepence] was the pay rate for jute workers before the First World War, in the form of a gold half-sovereign and ninepence. Some parts of this song are likely to have been taken from an older song. A trio of songs from indie rock veterans, “3ingle” showcases their songwriting skill with pared-back, acoustic arrangements. O, dear me, the mill is running fast And we poor shifters canna get nae rest Shifting bobbins coarse and fine They fairly make you work for your ten and nine O, dear me, I wish this day were done Running up and doon the Pass is nae fun Shiftin', piecin', spinning warp, weft … supported by