canasg choral music publishing - Bodachan ar-i-ar-o

SG1511

Bodachan ar-i-ar-o

(Little old man)

traditional Gaelic words and tune

arranged by Sheena Phillips
for soprano, alto, tenor and bass chorus
SATB performance time approx 1m 00s

Arranger's note

This is another foot-tapping piece of Gaelic puirt-a-beul ('poorsht-a-beel') or mouth music – the name for songs written to accompany dancing. It's about a drunk old shepherd who needs putting to bed for the night. A suggested performance scheme is to repeat the first and last choruses (forte, piano) but feel free to experiment.

Traditionally, puirt-a-beul is sung unaccompanied and in unison but the tunes harmonise very well. Frequently they are sung in sequences of three or four, each song leading without a break into the next. Bodachan works well as the first song in the following set of three: Bodachan ar-i-ar-o; Na'm biodh trì sgillinn agam; Hé mandu (all published by Canasg).

A recording by Rudsambee company of singers is available on their album bottled at source (RUBEECD003).

Music

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Hear a MIDI file of the song

Words

Bodachan ar-i-a-ro

Bodachan ar-i-ar-o
Ar-i-ar-o-ar-i-ar-o
Bodachan ar-i-ar-o
Bidh e ruith nan caorach.

Bodachan a' chinn duibh
A' chinn duibh, a' chinn duibh,
Bodachan a' chinn duibh
Bidh e anns an aonach.

Bodachan le pinnt air,
Le pinnt air, le pinnt air,
Bodachan le pinnt air,
Bidh e leis an daoraich.

Càirich an leabaidh dha,
Leabaidh dha, leabaidh dha,
Càirich an leabaidh dha,
Tha e nis fo'n aodach.

traditional Gaelic song

Translation

Little old man who runs the sheep,
Little old man with dark hair has gone to the market.
Little old man with a pint on him is under the weather,
Make up the bed for him - now he's under the covers.

Canasg editors

Full pronunciation guide provided

Price per copy £1.00 ($1.50)

Note: This price is for the first 20 licensed copies of the song, further copies cost only 25% of this price.

Companion pieces

Browse the Scots and Gaelic section of the Canasg catalogue for more songs like this one. To go there now, click on the 'catalogue' box to the right.

Canasg Music