Uploaded July 2025 | Updated September 2026, 3 days ago
Big Jimmy Drummond (Scottish Traveller Cant Song) (Roud No. 2157/2506) (1982) - Sung by Willie MacPhee, a Traveller of Blairgowrie, Perth. From the documentary "Gypsies Sing Long Ballads" (1982). Filmed and recorded by John Cohen in Blairgowrie, Perthshire, Scotland.
The complete movie can be watched here:
folkstreams.net/films/gypsies-sing-long-ballads
I extracted the songs and used my knowledge on video editing to share them on Youtube in the highest possible quality, I used manual video upscaling (no AI was used!) for this, to further document variants of traditional ballads and songs which has been my hobby for many years. I claim no ownership of the video, all the rights belong with John Cohen.
Note about the film:
Scotland’s Travellers have lived outside mainstream society for more than 500 years. Although some of the Travelling People still live by the sides of roads, most live today in houses and are under pressure to abandon their culture. This film celebrates their traditional music, especially the long unaccompanied ballads that date back hundreds of years and have been handed down by memory through the generations.
Note by Kevin W.:
I was delighted to discover this video documentation of Scotland's greatest tradition bearers. The often poorly treated Scottish Travellers honor the memories of their ancestors through songs, music and storytelling. They are proud of their culture and kept old traditions alive for hundreds of years. Many of our most gifted traditional singers and storytellers are Travellers.
Scottish Travellers are an indigenous ethnic minority in Scotland who live or traditionally lived a nomadic lifestyle and for centuries were unfairly shunned by the settled population. For that reason the singing culture of the Travelling people had not been well documented before the 20th century when non-Travellers with an interest in folklore visited and befriended Travellers and started recording their songs, music and stories.
Song transcription:
A song in Scots traveller cant. A traveller man is caught stealing gannies (chickens) and is sentenced to jail leaving his mort (wife) and kenchens (children) to fend for themselves.
My name it is Big Jimmy Drummond,
My name I will never deny;
I will moud aa the gannies by dozens,
For there’ll be naebody there for tae tell.
Last night I lay in a cauld granzie,
Oh the night I lay in the cauld gaol,
An my mort an my kenchens are scattered,
An I dinna jan whaur they may be.
But if ever I dae go a-chouran,
I'll be sure for tae go by mysel;
I will moud aa the gannies by dozens,
And there’ll be naebody there for tae tell.
Traveller cant words:
moud = kill
gannies = chickens
granzie = barn
mort = wife
kenchens = children
chouran = stealing
Duncan Williamson, a Traveller of Furnace, Argyllshire also knew the song about Big Jimmy Drummond but rarely sang it because he considered it to bring bad luck.
Duncan can be heard singing it here:
https://search.library.wisc.edu/digital/AGUYOZUILMQMD58H
I found an article on cant here:
aura.abdn.ac.uk/bitstream/handle/2164/18406/McKean_Multi_layered_Traditiones_vor.pdf
Big Jimmy Drummond (Scottish Traveller Cant Song) (Roud No. 2157/2506) (1982) - Sung by Willie MacPhee, a Traveller of Blairgowrie, Perth. From the documentary "Gypsies Sing Long Ballads" (1982). Filmed and recorded by John Cohen in Blairgowrie, Perthshire, Scotland.
The complete movie can be watched here:
folkstreams.net/films/gypsies-sing-long-ballads
I extracted the songs and used my knowledge on video editing to share them on Youtube in the highest possible quality, I used manual video upscaling (no AI was used!) for this, to further document variants of traditional ballads and songs which has been my hobby for many years. I claim no ownership of the video, all the rights belong with John Cohen.
Note about the film:
Scotland’s Travellers have lived outside mainstream society for more than 500 years. Although some of the Travelling People still live by the sides of roads, most live today in houses and are under pressure to abandon their culture. This film celebrates their traditional music, especially the long unaccompanied ballads that date back hundreds of years and have been handed down by memory through the generations.
Note by Kevin W.:
I was delighted to discover this video documentation of Scotland's greatest tradition bearers. The often poorly treated Scottish Travellers honor the memories of their ancestors through songs, music and storytelling. They are proud of their culture and kept old traditions alive for hundreds of years. Many of our most gifted traditional singers and storytellers are Travellers.
Scottish Travellers are an indigenous ethnic minority in Scotland who live or traditionally lived a nomadic lifestyle and for centuries were unfairly shunned by the settled population. For that reason the singing culture of the Travelling people had not been well documented before the 20th century when non-Travellers with an interest in folklore visited and befriended Travellers and started recording their songs, music and stories.
Song transcription:
A song in Scots traveller cant. A traveller man is caught stealing gannies (chickens) and is sentenced to jail leaving his mort (wife) and kenchens (children) to fend for themselves.
My name it is Big Jimmy Drummond,
My name I will never deny;
I will moud aa the gannies by dozens,
For there’ll be naebody there for tae tell.
Last night I lay in a cauld granzie,
Oh the night I lay in the cauld gaol,
An my mort an my kenchens are scattered,
An I dinna jan whaur they may be.
But if ever I dae go a-chouran,
I'll be sure for tae go by mysel;
I will moud aa the gannies by dozens,
And there’ll be naebody there for tae tell.
Traveller cant words:
moud = kill
gannies = chickens
granzie = barn
mort = wife
kenchens = children
chouran = stealing
Duncan Williamson, a Traveller of Furnace, Argyllshire also knew the song about Big Jimmy Drummond but rarely sang it because he considered it to bring bad luck.
Duncan can be heard singing it here:
https://search.library.wisc.edu/digital/AGUYOZUILMQMD58H
I found an article on cant here:
aura.abdn.ac.uk/bitstream/handle/2164/18406/McKean_Multi_layered_Traditiones_vor.pdf
