Threipland Tobacco Song
With the introduction of the recent smoking ban in public
places, another coincidental gem revealed itself, this time
in the
Threipland Papers collection which has been entrusted to the
Perth and Kinross Council Archive on long-term deposit. The
Threipland family seat is Fingask Castle in the Carse of
Gowrie.
While cataloguing the huge collection, archive staff came
across a song entitled "We Maun Gi'e up Tobacco, Tam",
which dates to sometime during the nineteenth century. The words
were penned by one Alexander Maclagan and they were inscribed to
"the Members of the United Society of Humanity and Temperance". Two
of these illustrated song-sheets could be purchased
for one halfpenny, or 100 sheets for the cost of two
shillings, and could be bought in Edinburgh - either in
Padon's of Dundas Street or in Ziegler's of South Bridge. The
sheets were printed by Fairgrieve's of Rose Street. The song would
be sung to the tune 'Cauld Kail in Aberdeen' and the words are as
follows:
Chorus:
We maun gi'e up Tobacco, Tam!
We maun gi'e up Tobacco;
It's just as bad's the deadly dram!
We maun gi'e up Tobacco
It canna mak us great or good, It canna mak us wiser;
It hurts our health, it spoils our food; Let truth be our
adviser!
We maun gi'e up Tobacco, Tam!
We maun gi'e up Tobacco;
If we want health to paint our cheeks,
We maun gi'e up Tobacco
Oh! 'Tis a fearfu' sight to see 'Tis past a kind o' jokin'
Auld hoary age and ragged wee Bare-fitted ladies smokin'!
We maun gi'e up Tobacco, Tam!
We maun gi'e up Tobacco;
To have a bawbee in our pouch,
We maun gi'e up Tobacco
If glorious nature had decreed That we should smoke, nae doubt,
Tam
We'd had a funnel on ilk head To let the vapour out, Tam!
We maun gi'e up Tobacco, Tam!
We maun gi'e up Tobacco;
It's just as bad's the deadly dram,
We maun gi'e up Tobacco
I you and I want to be men, To act a manly part, Tam
We maun abstain from a' we ken That hurts the head and heart,
Tam.
We maun gi'e up Tobacco, Tam!
We maun gi'e up Tobacco;
Come let us break our cuttie pipes;
We maun gi'e up Tobacco
We ha'e nae Sabbath claes to wear; Yet a penny ilka day, Tam,
Is nearly twa pound i' the year We puff in smoke away, Tam!
We maun gi'e up Tobacco, Tam!
We maun gi'e up Tobacco;
Our taes are keekin' through our shoon,
We maun gi'e up Tobacco!
But if we drink ,and snuff, and blaw, We will to ruin rin
Tam;
Abstain and we'll gang brisk an' braw, Wi' happy hearts within,
Tam
We maun gi'e up Tobacco, Tam!
We maun gi'e up Tobacco;
It's just as bad's the deadly dram,
We maun gi'e up Tobacco!
The
Local Studies and
Archive sections of the
AK Bell Library have many treasures like this which are saved
for posterity and research. Staff will always be delighted to point
anyone interested in finding documents like this in the right
direction. Other examples of old historical gems unearthed at the
library can be found in this Amazing Past Perthshire section
of the website.
