“Brochan Lom” is a Scottish Gaelic nonsense song about porridge, belonging to a genre of Scottish Highland folk music known as mouth music, or puirt-a-beul: puirt means “tunes for a musical instrument”, and beul means “mouth”.[1] The form mixes Gaelic vocables – meaningless syllables that some scholars believe may be a remnant of ancient Gaelic words – and tongue-twisting choruses.[2]
Brochan Lom means “thin porridge”. When played as an instrumental tune, it is also known as “The Orange And Blue”.[3]
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Lyrics
The words can vary, but a common version is:
Brochan lom, tana lom, brochan lom na sùghain
Brochan lom, tana lom, brochan lom na sùghain
Brochan lom, tana lom, brochan lom na sùghain
Brochan lom ‘s e tana lom ‘s e brochan lom na sùghain
Séist
Brochan tana, tana, tana, brochan lom na sùghain
Brochan tana, tana, tana, brochan lom na sùghain
Brochan tana, tana, tana, brochan lom na sùghain
Brochan lom ‘s e tana lom ‘s e brochan lom na sùghain
Thugaibh aran dha na gillean leis a’ bhrochan sùghain
Thugaibh aran dha na gillean leis a’ bhrochan sùghain
Thugaibh aran dha na gillean leis a’ bhrochan sùghain
Brochan lom ‘s e tana lom ‘s e brochan lom na sùghain
Séist
Seo an rud a gheibheamaid o nighean gobh’ an dùine,
Seo an rud a gheibheamaid o nighean gobh’ an dùine,
Seo an rud a gheibheamaid o nighean gobh’ an dùine,
Brochan lom ‘s e tana lom, ‘s e brochan lom sùghain.
Séist
Porridge thin and meagre, porridge thin from sowans.[a]Type of gruelAny kind of roasted and crushed cereal moistened by being mixed with water or milk. made from the inner husks of oat grains.[4]
Porridge thin and meagre, porridge thin from sowans.
Porridge thin and meagre, porridge thin from sowans.
Porridge thin, it is meagre and thin, it is porridge thin from sowans.
Chorus
Meagre and thin porridge, thin, thin, meagre porridge
Meagre and thin porridge, thin, thin, meagre porridge
Meagre and thin porridge, thin, thin, meagre porridge
Porridge thin, it is meagre and thin, it is porridge thin from sowans.
Give ye bread to the young men with sowans-gruel,
Give ye bread to the young men with sowans-gruel,
Give ye bread to the young men with sowans-gruel,
Porridge thin, it is meagre and thin, it is porridge thin from sowans.
Chorus
This is what we used to get from the smith’s daughter at the Dun
This is what we used to get from the smith’s daughter at the Dun
This is what we used to get from the smith’s daughter at the Dun
Porridge thin, it is meagre and thin, it is porridge thin from sowans.
Chorus