Henry's Songbook

Three men frae Carntyne went to join the parish
Three men frae Carntyne went to join the parish

Three men frae Carntyne and a bottle of wine
Went to join the parish

Three men frae Carntyne and a bottle of wine and five Woodbine
Went to join the parish

Three men frae Carntyne and a bottle of wine and five Woodbine
And a big black Greyhound dog named Bob
Went to join the parish

Three men frae Carntyne and a bottle of wine and five Woodbine
And a big black Greyhound dog named Bob frae up oor close
Went to join the parish

Three men frae Carntyne and a bottle of wine and five Woodbine
And a big black Greyhound dog named Bob frae up oor close
And wee Agnes oot the dairy who's been skelly since the Milanda boy
Hit her on the heid wi' a breidboard
Went to join the parish

Three men frae Carntyne and a bottle of wine and five Woodbine
And a big black Greyhound dog named Bob frae up oor close
And wee Agnes oot the dairy who's been skelly since the Milanda boy
Hit her on the heid wi' a breidboard and went oot an' didnae shut the door
And forgot to apologize
Went to join the parish

And it was shut!

(as sung by Iain MacKintosh)

Tune: One Man Went To Mow

Dree Buern ut Grotenmeer...

[1974:] Zum Schluß ein Tribut an Iains Glasgower Geburts-Stadtteil Carntyne. [...] Das Lied stellt in einer auf einen kurzen Nenner bringenden poetischen Weise den Werdegang des ehedem bürgerlichen Stadtviertels zum Slum dar. Die Zeile vom Windhund bezieht sich auf das dort gelegene Windhund-Rennstadion. (Notes Iain MacKintosh, 'By Request')

[1986:] Many people did not qualify for unemployment benefit, and there was a system of relief called 'transitional unemployment benefit', or 'the parish' as it was commonly known. To get this benefit impoverished men and women had to put their case to an officer at the Parish Council Office [...]. The officer would decide there and then whether benefit would be paid, and sometimes personal hostility denied benefit to unfortunate applicants. (Gatherer 81)

[1990:] Then there is One Man Went To Mow, altered to Three Men frae Carntyne went tae jine the Parish [...] ('Jine the Parish' of course translates into 'apply for Income Support from the DSS'). This song was originated by someone in Dunfermline, I believe, and was some three verses long. Fife singer John Watt heard it and added to it, Iain MacKintosh took it further into Glesga and added more verses again, then Billy Connolly made it famous. (McVicar, One Singer One Song 16)

[1997:] [From the age of twelve] I was smoking cigarettes, whenever I could lay my hands on twopence to buy five Woodbines, the cheapest brand on the market. (George Mackay Brown, For the Islands I Sing 46f.)