Bard’s Oration 1910
“A Crack tae the Club”
Hurrah; the glorious twenty-fifth,
Around again has come,
When Balerno Bursonians
Mak a’ the rafters hum
The Branch Express has rushed me here,
An’ in this Hall I find me,
The Currie folk and Kinleith smoke
I’ve left them a’ behind me.
The remaining Founder o’ oor Club,
Removed by death has been,
His weel kent face and genial smile
Will keep his memory green.
Wha was there like Willie Garlick,
At jack or tee he aye was there,
Bowling, Curling an’ Burns Clubs
Will miss him unco sair.
Years roll by, old friends depart,
But strangers fill their chair,
To toast “The Immortal Memory”
O’ the peasant Bard o’ Ayr
England may boast her great Shakespeare,
Ireland her Tommy Moore,
But Robbie Burns – oor ploughman lad
Is revered the hale world ower.
Oor Secretary, oor Treasurer,
Wi oor “Mountain Chief” believe me,
To sing their praises as I ought
Guid faith ! twad fairly deave ye.
To propose this Toast, they bring the best,
O’ talent rich and rare man,
Tonight they’ve honoured us afresh
Wi’ oor Parish Cooncil’s Chairman.
On Politics they’ve been wrangling ower,
Protection and the Budget,
But here tonight – a short respite
The most biassed winna grudge it.
Wi’ song an’ toast an’ sentiment,
Guid fellowship an’ a’ that,
We’ll ‘gree to differ, syne we ever
Shall brithers be for a’ that.
Sae Landlord as ye love yer soul,
An’ wad be deemed good fellow,
Just bring me in a brimming bowl
O’ something rare and mellow.
Hech Mac ! the taste is unco guid,
Willie Rankin ca’st a chalker,
Methinks twad stir my sluggish bield
I believe its ‘Johnnie Walker.’
Perchance ’twill mak’ some slumbering thocht,
To blossom ere I know it,
Sae here’s a richt guid Willie-waught
To Scotland’s lyric Poet.
McNeill will sing “The Deil’s Awa”
An’ Cossar “Jock an’ Jenny,”
While Torrance an’ his tinkler loons
Gang careering ower Malleny.
Altho’ the morn we disagree,
When pollin’ oor bit votie *,
We’ll a join here wi’ oor Cashier
In the “Lassie’s Yellow Coatie”
An’ if without this cosy nook,
It’s cauld an’ may be snawin,
An’ winds that blew on Robbie Burns
Aboon oor heids be blawin’.
We’ll hae guid cheer as lang’s we’re here
An’ when we gang awa,
To face “a blast o’ Januar Win’ “
We’ll just say “Let it Blaw !”
Mr J. B. Davidson
January 1910
* The day after Let it Blaw, voting continued in the 1910 General Election at which the coalition, led by H.H. Asquith, retained power. Despite Asquith’s Liberal Party, along with the Labour and Irish Nationalist parties, combining for at least 345 of the 670 seats in the House of Commons, Asquith was confronted by angry suffragettes until the police came to his rescue.
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