A Scottish Halloween, and 'Three Gallus Brithers' - a Scots Ballad for Halloween

We Scots get very possessive over Halloween. We just think we do it properly, because of our longer experience. When I was a wean (child!) the essential ingredients of Halloween were:

1. A bonfire and a few fireworks in the garden. But we didn't 'burn the guy'. That's an English Guy Fawkes day tradition, nothing to do with Halloween,
2. Going out 'guising' - dressing up in costume and going round the houses 'doing a turn', which could be singing, reciting a poem, or a mini-play, for peanuts, an apple or maybe a sixpence.
3. The turnip lantern - we didn't grow pumpkins in Scotland. Our turnips, or neeps, are of the swede variety. Big, purple skinned and orange fleshed, the kind traditionally served with haggis. The smell of burning turnip lantern is Halloween incarnate.
4. Dooking for apples - two versions of this. Apples floating in a tin bath. You try to grab them with your teeth,or with a fork held between the teeth.
5. Treacle scones - the best and messiest game. Scones spread with black treacle and swinging on strings around head height. Blindfolded, with hands behind the back, you have to try to eat them off the strings.
6. The Halloween dumpling - like a Christmas pudding, but with charms, usually old silver threepenny pieces wrapped in greaseproof paper.

And ballads?

There's a fine old Scottish (and Irish) tradition of ballads and story-telling. And at Halloween the old ghost stories feature large. I've brought one of my own for you. A latter-day tale of strange happenings around the witching hour, or, coincidentally, closing time. If the Scots dialect proves troublesome, I've followed up with an English unscanned translation. Safe home, now!

1.

Three gallus brithers hit the toon
Big Wullie, Shoo an Sauny Broon
rarin tae coup the bevvy doon
an the nicht wiz Halloween.
2.
Sauny wiz mairrit years langsyne
(Jessie McGuire fae Ochtertyne)
When he wiz canned he liked her fine
an the nicht wiz Halloween.
3.
Wullie wiz guid at the boaxin yince
till he got fat oan tatties an mince.
Sundays he'll gie his physog a wee rinse
an the nicht wiz Halloween.
4.
Shoo wiz a genius (ask his maw)
micht o been mair than naethin at aa
but the lassies aye caad his heid fae the baa
an the nicht wiz Halloween.
5.
Doon tae the harbour, therr's the plan
a hauf dizen bars in a hauf mile span -
three gallus brithers agreed tae a man
an the nicht wiz Halloween.
6.
Stert wi the Anchor, tip a jaur,
twa in the Ship, and the Harbour Bar,
stoatin an happy as pigs in glaur
an the nicht wiz Halloween.
7.
Efter the Harbour, the Steamboat Inn
whaur the whusky flows when the fleet comes in
an they caa ye a poof if ye esk fur gin
an the nicht wiz Halloween.
8.
Efter the Steamboat, shoot the craw.
Jessie'd be waitin, an Shuggie's maw.
But Wullie jist gawpt at the harbour waa
an the nicht wiz Halloween.
9.
"See thoan wee door, it wisna therr"
says Wullie, "Ah've spent ma life in Ayr
an it's new. Gaunny keek inside furra dare?"
an the nicht wiz Halloween.
10.
So they opened the door in the harbour waa -
Guid only kens whit they thocht they saw
but they grinned tae their lugs an said "This is braw!"
an the nicht wiz Halloween.
11.
Wullie jouks in the ring wi his fists in the air
an the punters aa gien it "Wullie the berr!"
but the bogle sune plants him flat oan the flerr
an the nicht wiz Halloween.
12.
Sauny walks doon the aisle wi his Jessie again
but the meenister says "Geeza brek, Jessie hen
ye've hud me an ma faithur an twal' ither men"
an the nicht wiz Halloween.
13.
An a carlin gies wee Shuggie a kiss
"Ye're a helluva fella fur takin the piss"
she says, "See in the moarn, ye'll be mindin aa this?"
an the nicht wiz Halloween.
14.
Noo the waa's still therr but thur's nae wee door
jist the harbour lichts affa Newton shore
an three gallus brithers, bold as before
an the nicht wiz Halloween.

1. Three gallus brothers hit the town, Big Willie, Hugh and Sandy Brown, eager to pour the drink down (and the night was Halloween)
2. Willie was once a good boxer, till he got fat on mince and potatoes. He'll still wash his face on a Sunday.
3. Sandy was married, years ago, to Jessie Maguire from Ochtertyne. He used to like her well enough when he was drunk.
4. Hugh was a genius. (Ask his mum). He might have amounted to something, but was too fond of the girls.
5. Down to the harbour, that's the plan. Six bars all within a half mile stretch. Three gallus brothers in full agreement.
6. Have a pint in the Anchor, two in the Ship and two more in the Harbour Bar. Staggering and happy as pigs in muck.
7. Then to the Steamboat, where the whisky flows when the trawlermen come ashore. But don't be asking for fancy drinks in here!!
8. After the Steamboat, call it a day. Jessie's waiting, and Hugh's mum. But Willie's staring at the harbour wall...
9. "See that door? It wasn't there" said Willie. "I've lived all my life in Ayr and it's new. Let's look inside, for a dare" (and remember - this is Halloween!)
10. So they open the door in the harbour wall. God alone knows what they thought they saw, but they grinned to their ears and said "This is great!"
11. Willie's back in the (boxing) ring with his fists in the air. The crowd are shouting "Willie the bear!" But the ghost soon knocks him to the floor.
12. Sandy walks down the aisle with Jessie, but the minister says "Come on Jessie - you've already been with me, my father and twelve other men!"
13. And a 'lady' attaches herself to Hugh. "You're a hell of a lad for messing about. But you think you'll remember this tomorrow?"
14. Now, the wall's still there, but there's no small door, just the harbour lights off Newton shore, and three gallus brothers, bold as before - and the night was Halloween.

Postscript - You'll maybe have noticed that the one word I've not rendered in English is 'gallus'. It just doesn't translate.

Thanks for reading!