When The Boat Comes In - Alex Glasgow

Dance Ti' Thy Daddy
Come here, maw little Jacky,
Now aw've smok'd mi backy,
Let's hev a bit o' cracky,
Till the boat comes in.
Dance ti' thy daddy, sing ti' thy mammy,
Dance ti' thy daddy, ti' thy mammy sing;
Thou shall hev a fishy on a little dishy,
Thou shall hev a fishy when the boat comes in.
Here's thy mother humming,
Like a canny woman;
Yonder comes thy father,
Drunk---he cannot stand.
Dance ti' thy daddy, sing ti' thy mammy,
Dance ti' thy daddy, ti' thy mammy sing;
Thou shall hev a fishy on a little dishy,
Thou shall hev a haddock when the boat comes in.
Our Tommy's always fuddling,
He's so fond of ale,
But he's kind to me,
I hope he'll never fail.
Dance ti' thy daddy, sing ti' thy mammy,
Dance ti' thy daddy, ti' thy mammy sing;
Thou shall hev a fishy on a little dishy,
I'hou shall hev a bloater when the boat comes in.
I like a drop mysel',
When I can get it sly,
And thou, my bonny bairn,
Will lik't as well as I.
Dance ti' thy daddy, sing ti' thy mammy,
Dance ti' thy daddy, ti' thy mammy sing;
Thou shall hev a fishy on a little dishy,
Thou shall hev a mackerel when the boat comes in.
May we get a drop,
Oft as we stand in need;
And weel may the keel row
That brings the bairns their bread.
Dance ti' thy daddy, sing ti' thy mammy,
Dance ti' thy daddy, ti' thy mammy sing;
Thou shall hev a fishy on a little dishy,
Thou shall hev a salmon when the boat comes in.

[@markwakely1498]

I used to watch this program, When the Boat comes In, with James Bolam, when I was about 7 or 8 years old, both my parents are now dead and I am 50 and this song brings back great memories of nights by the fire and buttered toast, by the fire, Happy Days.

[@bjtunstall]

Me too!

[@Kannibaal68]

I used to sing part of this song for my cat Cannibal when she was eagerly waiting for some fish. She died last night at the age of 16, so I dedicate this song to my faithfull friend who stood by me and gave me love and pleasure for so many years....hope they have fishy in heaven...

[@k_j_n1242]

All the best ❤

[@Welshman2008]

I have family in Durham and Newcastle and I have to say that the people are some of the freindliest I have ever met. Why Aye!

[@micklelawsie647]

Petal

[@alexgehales]

I live in Cambodia, my wife just returned with some storage jars that she purchased from a second hand Korean store, (shipped in from Seoul) the lyrics of this song was written on those jars, took me right back to the 70's watching TV with my family. Its a small world after all.

[@haddyanne]

Well done you, I am Scottish and understood every word. My Mum sung this to me when I was young and I have loved it ever since. Why can't folk understand the dialect? I dare say they have the same problem with the Scots dialect. Rock on. Great rendition loved it

[@gregcugola779]

When The Boot Comes In The punctuation at the end of the song is something else and makes the whole song complete. But you gotta wait for it. Wonderful Geordie, Real men, Real jobs, Real people Hard graft. Wonderful images. Black & White British Pathé A seafarer's delight 'No Tesco, Kmart or Walmart in them thar days.....fifty times around the Horn.....'

[@ryanzeelee]

Absolutely love this song.. Dubliner me, and one day I'll go to Newcastle and get the Haddock and go somewhere where I can hear that magical accent

[@MrsMagpie]

Give me a ring pet, I can talk the back legs off a donkey. Might even sing ya wor geordies lost his liggie, If i've had a drink, Can't sing but i'll give it a go.

[@davidhenzell6205]

Im a geordie but love the Dublin accent !

[@Knobbynomates]

Nice to have a rendition that's sounds in place and a verbal reflection of same. Lovely. This is how the song should be sung and the cornet is superb.!

[@24bronte]

Alex Glasgow was a cousin of mine who was born in Gateshead and started work in the pits. He read for a degree in French Language at Leeds University. He died about nine years ago.

[@fozrick]

Hi mate. I met a guy jimmy glasgow in the sauna here in NZ yesterday ! Said Alex was his great great grandfather or just great ? Canit mind. Anyways we had a canny chat ! Nice fella frae Edinburgh ! And I’ll be from Haltwhistle Northumberland 👍😊

[@eddiepattisonhogg9917]

@@fozrick thats interesting Peter, Alex was a cousin on my mothers side of the family. I did not know anyone from this side - she was born in Lincolnshire and moved to Gateshead when she was around twelve - she was adopted by an uncle and she used to tell us that Alex was her cousin. When I was back there a few years ago I was told by my younger brother Geoff that Alex's former house has a blue plaque outside and I went looking for it and found it just five minutes from where I was staying at my sister's place. Alex moved to Aussie in the early seventies I believe. He was a very strong socialist, possibly Communist.He wrote the song he is singing here, though I must emphasise he was useing an old Folk Tune and some words from that old song. His words are not really an upgrade on the origonal really, they are about the boozy lifestyle that charicterises the North East working man's life and the struggle he had to get a decent living wage - thats what the TV series was about really when his' boat wpould come in' and everything will be OK one day - it was pretty raw stuff that British people would like to forget really and fly off to Vegas. We have become a rotton lot really! On my side of the family my Gt, Gt, Gt, grandfathe comes from Hartburn just to the West of Morpeth, they moves into Newcastle 1801. Family moved to Gateshead around 1901. Thanks for your comment.

[@fozrick]

@@eddiepattisonhogg9917 hi Ted nice of you to get back to me with some family info. Think I was still in me nappies when that show was on tv. I know my dad would often sing it too and I thought he was just being daft 😂. I’ll have to keep an eye out for the guy I met in the sauna and make more enquiries. I was born in the small town of Haltwhistle , pretty central coast to coast and good access to many parts of the Roman wall. And the many castles round the south Tyne ! An amazing place to grow up. Didn’t realise how lucky we were until I’m older. But sure we enjoyed it and made the most of it. I did try n watch that show on you tube but it was so dated it was difficult as it held no nostalgia for me. But I did find the story called the machine gunners on KZbin that brought back many memories of childs tv. And it’s always nice to hear the accents again 😊. Take care Ted 👍. Nice to chat

[@eddiepattisonhogg9917]

@@fozrick Thanks Peter for your note. It would be great if you could get some more info from the Glasgow in the sauna; I would like to know more from that side of the family. We are living in Auckland NZ. Moved here in 1970, now living in Pukekohe. Been retired for 16 years. The Hoginson name is my undercover name, I'm Eddie Hogg in reality. Nice to hear from you.

[@fozrick]

@@eddiepattisonhogg9917 oh wow Ted. Fancy you living in NZ too. That’s mad we have made contact form the same side of the world. I will certainly keep an eye out for jimmy ! As it happens I was back in the sauna tonight but no sign of him. But rest assured if I see him again I’ll some how try and put him on to you ! Here’s my number ! By all means send a text through and if I see him again I can pass on the info 👍. 0221532029

[@TrueBlueEG8]

Song originates from Northumbria in England, lots of people mistake it for being scottish or irish, but its an english folk song.

[@liam6345]

TrueBlueEG8 actually originated from Durham believe it or not.

[@willnufc8017]

Aye it’s Geordie

[@carolynzaremba5469]

@@willnufc8017 Sounds Geordie.

[@carnagecat7972]

This is my grandfather, it’s comes from Newcastle

[@jeanmichellelaurent]

My Scottish dad loved to sing this to me when I was young

[@UrsiBear1]

More power to the North East. First railway, first electrically lit house, first English historian in Bede, first in my heart

[@fredrickaappletree3402]

First friction match! And yes of course the venerable Bede ...... and monkwearmouth the seat of all modern learning.

[@thomasdwyer7979]

Wonderful people, hearts of gold .

[@carolynzaremba5469]

I will always thank my late friend Peter Lathan from Roker for introducing me to the northeast. I loved it up there.

[@Molemanftw69]

My Mother people are geordies and she used to sing this song to me growing up in Sydney Australia.

[@Ella-sh5pj]

Grew up listening to this song, great to hear it after along time

[@aireya51]

i grew up with this song, charming and about hard working honest folk, fishermen. Telling your kid that when the boat comes in, there'll be fish, Tesco is not involved x

[@OneVoiceOfReason]

+Keith Airey i start getting kinda sick of this whole "hard working honest folk" thing after hearing it a few thousand times... i get it fishermen or miners or men of the land do a hard day's work but im guessing your opinion would be lower for people like myself who work in other professions such as engineering or research and development, living in a fishing town with people telling me "aaah what are you doing that fancy shit for, doesnt put bread on the table you should do an honest day's work"

[@mariasilmonart]

It is an old song - back from the days when the division between rich and poor was very apparent, and people in the North East were starving.

[@OneVoiceOfReason]

maria silmon a time that conservatives want to drag us back to.

[@Phantomrasberryblowe]

Of course they do. Could you tell me where I could find more of your sensible and intelligent comments?

[@OneVoiceOfReason]

Giovanni Pierre given the lack of a tag I'm not sure who you are talking to there or if you are being sarcastic.

[@TheUnseenMovieLover]

My dad used to sing this to me just before I went to bed. I miss those simple, perfect moments of my childhood :'-)

[@simondalton3726]

That’s what brought me here. I was trying to find the song that my dad sang to me 😀

[@michaelpeek9093]

I love this song it really warms my heart

[@bjrnrichter4414]

Nice to hear this again i used to watch the tv series as a child in the seventies in Denmark and although i didn't hear this song all those years it has kind of stuck with me and popped up in my head from time to time. Thanks for posting

[@fozrick]

I met this guys great great grandson in the sauna in NZ yesterday. Was a pleasure 😊

[@kevcar08]

@ahudspith Power to the north east!!!! A hugely important part of the u.k. A great and rich history , a plaace of legend and magic. Howay from a merseyside man.

[@CastJosephine]

I'm not even English (well I came here when I was 6), but I know this song off by heart cos my mum always used to sing it to me in the kitchen when she's preparing fish LOL

[@faithrogers8480]

love this, used to sing it with me granddad

[@johnsimpsonkirkpatrickhist1372]

Great song! The TV series was written by a South Shields lad James Mitchell (with help from other local writers). Brilliant!!!

[@kevinwalker818]

amazing, nothing like it have I heard before, its all over the place but in the right place in a way - sticking in my head now and cannot get it out

[@michaelpace773]

Love it.Brings back memories

[@derekreynolds2681]

When i hear songs like this i`m proud to be English ... X :)

[@beverlycoe4971]

me too. How hard my granddad and dad worked to make Britain Great. They really suffered for us.

[@ellie3320]

same, although so many people dislike us for things we have done in the past. Long Live England :)

[@fredrickaappletree3402]

@@ellie3320 “we” haven’t done anything do you mean the government ?

[@fredrickaappletree3402]

Bless you 🙂 me too

[@andyhinds542]

@@beverlycoe4971 I'm pretty sure that they worked hard to feed their families, etc and didn't have some political, nationalist objective.

[@immortalsofar5314]

In the States, where they aren't used to this kind of song, the younger ones love it but the adults hated it so me and the kids would tease them with it. My GF had a bowl next to the door where she would put her keys so me and her son got her a fish keychain so that she could put the little fishy in the little dishy. If nothing else, when she lost her keys she stopped asking us where they were!

[@Michajeru]

I love this song!

[@kingplayze914]

This is the best version. Hands down.

[@EvilEddtheRed]

I was too young to actually watch the TV series, but this remians as fresh in my memory as whe I first heard it. Magical.

[@dawnfinch8873]

loved the song as much as the series good northern stuff

[@arobbins100]

Thanks so much for posting this and also for all the work putting the words up too. I loved this song when it was used for the TV series & really enjoyed hearing t again! Andrew.

[@DavidCrosby.]

How can you say its scottish, the bloke singing is pure geordie

[@lukehalliwell4650]

David Crosby he is welsh

[@Dusty357]

It's a geordie song originated from Northumberland, the lad singing is a geordie from Gateshead has fuck all to do with Welsh or Scottish folk songs only relationship to Scotland is the man's second name.

[@willnufc8017]

luke Halliwell He’s Geordie

[@matthewlewis2072]

@@lukehalliwell4650 well wrong, he's a Geordie en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alex_Glasgow

[@MrsMagpie]

@@matthewlewis2072 GATESHEAD no way is that the toon. To be a true Geordie you have to be born within the city walls or like me on the Toon Moor. There a geet big bit of water between us and Gateshead.

[@terryashton3541]

Absolutely love this old song, we lived in Manchester back in the 1950s my dad was a lorry driver and regularly used to travel upto Tyneside and although I must have been only 8 or 9 was always interested to hear his stories about the Geordie folks and I can always remember one of his sayings was `the geordie people are the salt of the earth` and from what I've found out myself he's spot on, great people and very honest, and regards this song, love it and although even I sometimes found out the `Geordies` were hard to understand we all got on well.

[@robertjohnston4280]

Wonderful. Alex Glasgow is a legend!

[@TYNEPUNK]

bloody hell i love this!!

[@mandoprince1]

This was used as the theme music for the BBC series "When The Boat Comes In". In addition to this recording, Alex Glasgow also wrote three of the episodes from the first series.

[@johncameron1349]

love this version from watching the series way back when

[@moominpic]

It's a geordie accent because the singer, Alex Glasgow, was from Gateshead. I'd have said Jimmy Nail has the most well-known Geordie accent... he played an Argentinian with a Geordie accent in Evita! "Bairn" is derived from Scandinavian "Barn" (baby/child), so t's common all up the north-east coast.

[@BroodofLoki]

loved this song since I was a kid.

[@pommesvapeur]

In the top 10 of songs to sing to my grandson list. Brilliant tube - almost like beong there.

[@SIRSMITH08]

im hooked !

[@BalearicCoatingSolutions]

Love this song

[@backstabboi4559]

i love this

[@trebleking1641]

The Geordies are well loved cousins of us Scots. Absolutely love the Geordies.

[@Occident.]

True! Most Geordies Are of Irish and Scots origin.

[@carnagecat7972]

Love u grandad

[@christopherdalton9171]

Terrific version! Alex Glasgow giving a great vocal delivery with When The Boat Comes In. Any other renditions of this number does not match the performance from Alex Glasgow. That's a cut above the rest

[@scrumsie]

Hahaha amazing ,we used to sing this song in the schoolyard when i was a little dude.Many years ago.

[@jasongray3365]

Love you Da xx

[@clearthelot2238]

Perfect

[@bigbruvofenglanduk]

I had not heard a Geordie accent before I watched that series when I was a kid. I asked my step dad why the man was singing in that strange voice

[@lakeakero]

That Jack Ford's gettin' too big fer 'is boots! He'll get wot's comin' to 'im! You mark ma words, young fella me lad!

[@peterpanda1970]

Dance to your Daddy... Lovely!

[@BlogBitch]

I sing this to my self every time I get a really good 'fishy' poker hand win.

[@derekreynolds2681]

Good old days , when we was growing up x TV early 70 `s ... magic ...;)

[@DBLuba]

Also loved the song when the TV series was on - it remains one of my favourites Dave

[@jillelliott8175]

Gawjus. Reminds me of me yoof watching telly. Loved when the boat... :-)

[@tynestein3074]

Great North East tune.

[@moominpic]

If your talking of the TV series with James Bolam as Jack Ford, then I believe it's out on DVD these days. This was the theme music to it.

[@erenberg]

Brilliant,even if your not a Geordie

[@gards2]

Haway!!!!! me lads SAFC

[@adaminabyangler391]

Golden music!

[@sepgorut2492]

Wonderful.

[@rkid0133]

My dad used to always sing this to me

[@TheWolfManBC]

Geordie Power!

[@drumphil00]

:) back to the days of my grandparents.

[@maershkinschrabs7597]

I like a drop meself when I can get it slyyyy👌👌👌

[@gdgest]

Dance Ti Thy Daddy is a variant of Dance To Your daddy. It was the theme song adapted by David Fanshawe for When The Boat Comes In, a British television drama produced by the BBC between 1976 and 1981. The series starred James Bolam as Jack Ford, a First World War survivor who returns to his poverty stricken home town in the northeast of England during the 1920s.

[@stujenner]

The programme was really good, especially James Bolam, long before he became Grandpa in my pocket.

[@imissmydogpj9319]

I only found this out as my dad sings this all the time because this was his time

[@imissmydogpj9319]

tune*

[@TheElizabethashby]

me darr sang it too me when i was a wee lassie 3yrs old and to 5yrs old = oh what a good time = hey darr where is me fish ? x

[@JasonJason210]

I remember the TV series me mom watched in the 1970s. With Jack

[@kimlacey3552]

It's about the child appreciating the hard work of the parents

[@damianpatrickmcnamara6954]

Oh thanks enormously for explaining its full meaning so glad wise sages such as thee take the time out of your busy life to explain the specifics of art

[@Luciferhelidon]

Also about how they love drinking and want their child to love drinking

[@cheeseface99]

@@damianpatrickmcnamara6954 🤣🤣🤣 killed it, that pearl was not lost 🤚👊

[@knutolavhalseth6761]

Remember my parents followed this series, all I remember is this song and that James Bolam played the main character.

[@BradBrassman]

@hungrytigertony1 One of the best-loved of all Northumbrian folk songs, 'When the Boat Comes In' is perhaps as well known under its alternative title 'Dance to your Daddy'. The subject - is the fisherman/father's return from the sea - is heavily laced with references to alcohol... so heavily in fact that one gets the impression that the whole family is incapable!

[@eddiepattisonhogg9917]

the song is only connected to fishing incidentily, it's really about the boozy culture of Tyneside of which Alex Glasgow was an offspring. He's a cousin of mine who was very much involved in the class struggle - got himself a degree from Leeds University and wrote some of the scripts for the Series of TV programne of the same name.

[@BoomZzzZ]

Glorious Northern superior race reporting in

[@leemitchellmusic]

Sheer magic Xxxxxxx 🙂

[@blackcatmackem4711]

Alex Glasgow from Low Fell County Durham, quality music from County Durham lad.

[@davidgrahamscott]

so he's not a Glaswegian?

[@angusmcbastard4252]

David Graham Scott nah, he's from gateshead...other side of the river to Newcastle...the South Shields side.

[@davidgrahamscott]

Well I'm Scott from Scotland...you sound kind of Scottish from your name

[@angusmcbastard4252]

David Graham Scott nah, just a pseudonym....I'm from S/Shields originally. Angus is just to avoid hack/spam through Google+

[@stevegill1157]

Sorry to be pedantic, but Low Fell is Gateshead and not County Durham (born and bred in Durham as I am). I have just finished rewatching When the Boat Comes In and loved it. This song is just awesome

[@ahudspith]

Regardless of it being a tyneside or wearside song in origin - it's part of the north easts culture and I cant believe how the rest of the country can look down on the NE when we have such a wealth of culture that the middle class have done their utmost to hide and obliterate from our culture over the past 50 years. Oh ... and by the way ... I remember being sung this as a bairn in Teesside! Up The Boro! ;)

[@TheFatty73]

this was a nursery rhyme for me..when i was a bairn

[@patriciamackinlay6495]

pure geordie xxxplus Beogast you are a mine of info thanks x

[@blackcatmackem4711]

Low fell County Durham.

[@angusmcbastard4252]

BlackCat Mackem Low Fell is Gateshea ye mackem knacka :) ( county durham for south tyneside finished when I was a kid back in the 70's....its called south TYNEside, not north Wearside

[@siatelecomsltdLondon]

Someone ought to produce a heavy metal version of this song. 😊😊

[@Beorgast]

"Scots" is sometimes called a language for political reasons but it is actually as much a group of English dialects as any, in fact, North East dialects is closer to "Scots" than to Standard English... which would mean they are either dialects of Scots or Scots dialects are just other Northern varieties of English.

[@helenheaven3822]

Beorgast actually north east dialect is closer to danish

[@annemariegilbey9306]

@@helenheaven3822 Well, so is Scots. The Scottish lowlands were part of the Danelaw as well as northern England.

[@davidmallon8300]

@@annemariegilbey9306 they weren't part of Danelaw. When the Vikings took York, the Gaelic kingdom in Scotland took the lowlands from Northumbria. Scots is derrived from Northumbrian old English. Northumbrian is essentially dead due to standardised education. A lot of words would have been used for example by my grandparents and great grandparents but with my mams generation it wasn't really that taught. A site has Northumbrian words and I read them to my mam who knew some like Chollers (cheeks) which her grandparents would say "You've got reed chollers".

[@davidmallon8300]

@@annemariegilbey9306 also Durham and Northumberland weren't parts of the Danelaw either

[@youtrojaxtube]

their war a tv program about tyneside call when the boat comes in.. sadly all the tapes have been lost. for me, i never liked the song cos when it came on i knew it was my bed time..lol Im from manchester and we go to the NE every now and then.. Always good fun nice people. thanks for posting

[@randoms8888]

O.O .... my dad was singing this song to me up for school this morning O.o ...

[@alvaskins]

I have been watching this show on Yesterday, really like it. Girlfriend hates me singing this song though.

[@bigbruvofenglanduk]

Thanks professor

[@Claymor621]

Sorry but no. 'Thee' gets shortened to 'the' and is used (in the accusative) all the time as is 'Thou' (pronounced 'thoo' or also shortened to 'the'). Both are extremely common in everyday speech where I come from (East Durham) e.g. 'is the turning out the neet' or 'Ah've telt the' (I've told you). So is 'the' or 'thy' for 'your' and, occasionally, 'thine' for 'yours'. You can hear this every day in these parts. But not North of, say, Sunderland.

[@backstabboi4559]

heard kaif sing it and had to hear the original

[@mutinyonthekitkat]

Like the music to Follyfoot, one of those theme tunes you never forget.

[@joshadams8276]

SOMEBODY HELP!! when I was a bairn I can remember my grandad playing a Geordie song on his cassette player and one of the lyrics was "Bread and Jam we had for wor tea". That is all I have to go off but I'm hoping someone out there knows this song and can give me a name. Much appreciated

[@joejoyce2305]

who ever those 5 dislikes are, dont know good music :)

[@Derricklarch]

you totally spoilt that song

[@BritGuyInUs1]

Thank you so much for posting this. I used to watch this series when I lived in England. The song is too awesome Does anyone happen to know if there is any legitimate DVD copy of the series available in NTSC format? Thanks

[@BlackBacon44]

Cleverly arranged by David Fanshawe (African Sanctus)

[@Knobbynomates]

I could not agree more, wonderful arrangement. Love the choice of in place instruments

[@mewvufxz8007]

This song terrified me as a young child same as the "the animals went in 2 by 2" song

[@markhall9281]

Im.lov it reminds yam

[@kaldhualan6326]

remindes me of my youth up in cassop

[@konorokingdom]

The very best of

[@boydegg]

Wherever it's from, great little song. My Dad sung it when I was a nipper (and we're Irish!)

[@Sniffingbunny]

very good