Missing lyrics? Just ask Robbie
Please help me. My dad, whose name is James Paul, is 93 years old and the last of his family.
Dad was born in Rathen, then moved to Knowhead, Strichen, a place I remember well from visiting when I was small.
My granny then moved into Strichen with my auntie Bella, where she died in 1971. I have a cousin in Mintlaw, one in Longside, and another in Banff.
Dad’s mother used to sing a song to him and hence it was passed down to me. I am trying to find the lyrics to no avail and just wondered if you could help. It starts like this:
When you’re born ye’ve got na hair at all
Just a wee roond headie like a ball
It’s nae lang, it’s true
Ye’ve a thack and a oo
Then ye grow up and it gets parted.
If I could find out the name of the song or the writer, then perhaps I could explore more and even try to find it on CD.
We still visit the North-East and really enjoy our holidays there.
June Perks,
Glendower Road, Perry Barr, Birmingham.
Editor: There was only one person to ask – Robbie Shepherd, and sure enough, he came up trumps: “The song was written and sung by Rab The Rhymer who was a popular radio performer singing at the piano in broadcasts from the BBC Aberdeen Studios. He recorded this song on Beltona in 1939.
“Rab The Rhymer was actually Dr Douglas F. Raitt, a marine biologist who worked in the Marine Laboratory in Torry. He had several scientific papers published and it may have been his employment in the civil service that made him shy of revealing his real identity. Tragically he died as a result of an accident involving his car in his garage.
“I will send off a tape of the song for you to pass on.”