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This song originates from
the turn of the century when the term nicky tams came
into use. The phrase derives from the fact that when the
farm servants trousers were tied up with straps or cords
(taums) below the knee they looked similar to the then
fashionable knickerbockers. The tune, a variant of a
Gaelic air common both in Scotland and Ireland, is very
popular, probably because it adapts so readily to many
different types of song.
Fin I wis only
ten years aul' I left the pairish squeel
Ma faither fee'd me tae the mains
tae airn ma milk an' meal
Well I first pit on ma nerra
breeks tae hap ma spin'le trams
Syne I buckl'd roon ma knappit'
knees a pair o' nicky tams
Well fin I
first gaed oan for bailie loon an syne I gaed oan for
third
An' syne, of course, I hid tae get the horseman's
gripping wird
A loaf o' breid tae be ma piece,
an a bottle for drinkin' drams
Bit ye canna git throw the calf-hoose
door withoot yer nicky tams
Bit the
fairmer fa am wi' aye noo, he's wealthy bit he's mean
Though corn's cheap, his horse is
thin, his hairness fairly deen
He gars us load wir cairts ow'r
fu', his conscience his nae qualms
Bits an breist-straps brak there's
naithing like a pair o' nicky tams
Noo I'm coortin' bonnie Annie noo,
Rob Tamson's kitchie-deem
She is five-and-forty an' I'm jist
seiventeen
She clorts a muckle piece tae me
wi' different kin's o' jam
An' tells me ilke nicht hoo she
admires ma nicky tams
Noo I startit
oot ae Sunday the kirkie for tae gyang
Ma collar it was unco ticht ma
breeks were nane ow'r lang
I had ma Bible in ma pooch,
likewise ma book o' Psalms
Fan Annie roart: "Ye muckle gype,
tak' aff yer nicky tams"
Though unco
sweir, I took them aff, the lassie for tae please
But aye ma breeks they lirket up
aroon aboot ma knees
Well a wasp gaed crawlin' up ma
leg in the middle o' the Psalms
Sae nivir again will I rig the
kirk withoot ma nicky tams
Noo I've affen
thocht I'd like tae be a bobby on the force
Or maybe I'll get on the cars tae
drive a pair o' horse
Bit whitever it's my luck tae be,
the bobbies or the trams
I'll never forget the happy days I
wore ma nicky tams
pairish squeel = parish school
fee'd = hired
mains = farm
nerra breeks = narrow trousers
hap = cover
spin'le trams = skinny legs
k-nappin' k-nees = knock knees
bailie loon = cattleman
third = third horseman
yne = then
gae = go
calf-hoose = chaff house
the noo = meantime
deen = worn out
gar = makes
wir = our
breist-straps = part of a harness
kitchie deem = scullery maid
clorts = spreads liberally
ilke nicht = every night
till = to
kirkie = church
gyang = go
unco ticht = very tight
muckle gype = big idiot
unco sweir = very unwilling
rig the kirk = dress for church
