Uploaded July 2025 | Updated September 2026, 3 days ago
Jock of Monymusk / Johnnie o' Breadisley / Johnnie o' Braidislie / Johnny o Breadislee / Johnnie o Cocklesmeer / Jonny O' the Brine / Johnny o' Brime / Johnie Cock (Child No. 114) - Sung by Duncan Williamson (1928-2007), a Traveller of Furnace, Argyllshire, Scotland, later settled in Fife. Filmed and recorded by David Kotyk as part of the John D. Niles folklore research team for the "Scottish Voices" project at a rented house in Auchtermuchty in August 1986.
00:00:00 Intro
00:01:48 Sings Johnny O'Breadislee
00:07:30 End
The original movie can be watched here:
https://search.library.wisc.edu/digital/AYSJ3ZY3ZKQDH58G
A biography of Duncan Williamson can be read here:
tobarandualchais.co.uk/person/4292?l=en
Linda Williamson's thesis on Scottish Traveller singing can be read here, it's well worth your time if you're interested in Duncan Williamson's song repertoire: era.ed.ac.uk/handle/1842/8223
I used my knowledge on video editing to share the films 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 the University of Wisconsin which houses the John D. Niles Collection.
Note by Kevin W.:
I was delighted to discover these videos of Scotland's great tradition bearers in the John D. Niles Collection. 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.
The videos give us an impression of what Duncan Williamson was like as a person and they show us how he performed his songs and stories to an audience. The visual aspect of performance is completely missed when we listen to sound recordings.
My main interest are the songs and ballads from Traveller tradition which Duncan kept alive. His interest in folklore led him to seek out other Traveller singers and storytellers and learn songs and stories from them, many of which were on the verge of being lost forever. In a way Duncan was a folklore collector himself.
Song transcription:
Oh Johnnie he got up one fine morning,
Called water tae wash his hands,
Saying, "Gang bring to me my grey twa dogs,
They are bound with iron bands, oh
They are bound with iron bands."
"Oh Johnnie, oh Johnnie," his mother she said,
To the green woods dinnae dinnae gang!
Oh Johnnie, for your mother's sake,
Son, a-hunting, son, dinnae dinnae gang!"
But Johnnie buskit up his fine broad bow,
His arrows aye sae lang,
And he paid no heed to his mother's words.
To the green woods he would gang, oh
To the green woods he would gang.
And then he spied a grey dun deer
Coming doon by the greenwood side,
And he fired on the grey dun deer
And he wounded her in her pride, oh
He wounded her in her pride.
And then there comes a silly old man
Comes doon through the greenwood side,
And he is awa to the king's foresters
The seven foresters for to see, oh
The seven foresters for to see.
"What news, what news, you silly aul man,
What news do you bring today?
What news, what news, you silly old carl,
What news have you brought today?"
He said, "As I come doon by your merry green woods
And through your peat and bogs,
There I spied a handsome man
He was hunting with his dogs, oh
He was a-hunting with his dogs."
Then up and spoke the first forester,
An eldry man was he,
Saying, "If Johnnie is a-hunting in our merry green woods
We will gang and we'll gar him dee, oh
We may gang and we'll gar him dee."
Then up and spoke the second forester,
A man among them aa,
He said, "If Johnnie is a-hunting in our merry green woods
Nae further dare we draw, oh
Nae further dare we draw.
Then up and spoke the third forester,
A brother's son was he,
"Gang get your bows, my brothers bold,
And come alang wi me, oh
And come alang wi me."
So Johnnie placed his back against an oak
And his feet against a stane,
And he fired on the seven foresters
And he slew them aa but ane, oh,
He slew them aa but ane.
But then an arrow had pierced him deep
Coming doon through the greenwood side,
And betwixt the waters and the woods
There, oh, Johnnie died, oh,
Oh there, oh, Johnnie died.
Now Johnnie's great big bow lies broke
And his twa grey dogs lie slain,
And his body lies in Monymusk
And his hunting days are gane, oh,
His hunting days are gane.
Jock of Monymusk / Johnnie o' Breadisley / Johnnie o' Braidislie / Johnny o Breadislee / Johnnie o Cocklesmeer / Jonny O' the Brine / Johnny o' Brime / Johnie Cock (Child No. 114) - Sung by Duncan Williamson (1928-2007), a Traveller of Furnace, Argyllshire, Scotland, later settled in Fife. Filmed and recorded by David Kotyk as part of the John D. Niles folklore research team for the "Scottish Voices" project at a rented house in Auchtermuchty in August 1986.
00:00:00 Intro
00:01:48 Sings Johnny O'Breadislee
00:07:30 End
The original movie can be watched here:
https://search.library.wisc.edu/digital/AYSJ3ZY3ZKQDH58G
A biography of Duncan Williamson can be read here:
tobarandualchais.co.uk/person/4292?l=en
Linda Williamson's thesis on Scottish Traveller singing can be read here, it's well worth your time if you're interested in Duncan Williamson's song repertoire: era.ed.ac.uk/handle/1842/8223
I used my knowledge on video editing to share the films 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 the University of Wisconsin which houses the John D. Niles Collection.
Note by Kevin W.:
I was delighted to discover these videos of Scotland's great tradition bearers in the John D. Niles Collection. 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.
The videos give us an impression of what Duncan Williamson was like as a person and they show us how he performed his songs and stories to an audience. The visual aspect of performance is completely missed when we listen to sound recordings.
My main interest are the songs and ballads from Traveller tradition which Duncan kept alive. His interest in folklore led him to seek out other Traveller singers and storytellers and learn songs and stories from them, many of which were on the verge of being lost forever. In a way Duncan was a folklore collector himself.
Song transcription:
Oh Johnnie he got up one fine morning,
Called water tae wash his hands,
Saying, "Gang bring to me my grey twa dogs,
They are bound with iron bands, oh
They are bound with iron bands."
"Oh Johnnie, oh Johnnie," his mother she said,
To the green woods dinnae dinnae gang!
Oh Johnnie, for your mother's sake,
Son, a-hunting, son, dinnae dinnae gang!"
But Johnnie buskit up his fine broad bow,
His arrows aye sae lang,
And he paid no heed to his mother's words.
To the green woods he would gang, oh
To the green woods he would gang.
And then he spied a grey dun deer
Coming doon by the greenwood side,
And he fired on the grey dun deer
And he wounded her in her pride, oh
He wounded her in her pride.
And then there comes a silly old man
Comes doon through the greenwood side,
And he is awa to the king's foresters
The seven foresters for to see, oh
The seven foresters for to see.
"What news, what news, you silly aul man,
What news do you bring today?
What news, what news, you silly old carl,
What news have you brought today?"
He said, "As I come doon by your merry green woods
And through your peat and bogs,
There I spied a handsome man
He was hunting with his dogs, oh
He was a-hunting with his dogs."
Then up and spoke the first forester,
An eldry man was he,
Saying, "If Johnnie is a-hunting in our merry green woods
We will gang and we'll gar him dee, oh
We may gang and we'll gar him dee."
Then up and spoke the second forester,
A man among them aa,
He said, "If Johnnie is a-hunting in our merry green woods
Nae further dare we draw, oh
Nae further dare we draw.
Then up and spoke the third forester,
A brother's son was he,
"Gang get your bows, my brothers bold,
And come alang wi me, oh
And come alang wi me."
So Johnnie placed his back against an oak
And his feet against a stane,
And he fired on the seven foresters
And he slew them aa but ane, oh,
He slew them aa but ane.
But then an arrow had pierced him deep
Coming doon through the greenwood side,
And betwixt the waters and the woods
There, oh, Johnnie died, oh,
Oh there, oh, Johnnie died.
Now Johnnie's great big bow lies broke
And his twa grey dogs lie slain,
And his body lies in Monymusk
And his hunting days are gane, oh,
His hunting days are gane.
