The Pipes and Drums of the First Battalion Liverpool Scottish, The Waggle Of The Kilt, record cover, 1959
Tartan Day
Apr 6
Other Scottish Country Dances for this Day
Today's Musings, History & Folklore
"He's a braw braw Hielan' laddie, Private Jock McDade.
There's not anither soger like him in the Scotch Brigade.
Rear'd amang the heather, you can see he's Scottish built,
By the wig, wig, wiggle, wiggle, waggle o' the kilt."
~ The Waggle of the Kilt, Harry Lauder, 1922
National Tartan Day, held each year on April 6 in the United States and Canada, celebrates the historical links between Scotland and North America and the contributions Scottish Americans and Canadians have made to US and Canadian democracy, industry and society. If your tartan wearing today consists of a kilt, you owe your styling to the original “great” kilt (filleadh mór in Gaelic) a 6m length of cloth worn around the shoulders and fastened at the waist with a leather belt popular in the Highlands in the 16th century as traditional dress of men and boys in the Scottish Highlands. By 1746 the “little” kilt or walking kilt (fèileadh beag) became popular in the Highlands and northern Lowlands, although the great kilt (or belted plaid) continued to be worn. Today's kilts waggle with all the appeal of their ancestral forbearers and never fail to catch a glad eye. Happy Tartan Day! 😀 🏴
The Waggle of the Kilt
All those yards of material in a formal kilt definitely have a life of their own, dancing or walking.
Here are the lyrics to the traditional tune that accompanies this namesake dance, famously recorded by Harry Lauder in 1917. Henry Lauder (1870 – 1950) was a Scottish singer and comedian popular in both music hall and vaudeville theater tradition and achieved international success. He was described by Winston Churchill as "Scotland's greatest ever ambassador."
Waggle O' The Kilt
I'll never forget the day I went and join'd the "Ninety third"
The chums I used to run with said they thought I look'd absurd.
As they saluted me, and gather'd round me in a ring,
And as I wagg'd my tartan kilt they a' began to sing -
Chorus
He's a braw braw Hielan' laddie, Private Jock McDade.
There's not anither soger like him in the Scotch Brigade.
Rear'd amang the heather, you can see he's Scottish built,
By the wig, wig, wiggle, wiggle, waggle o' the kilt.
Chorus
I'll never forget the day we were order'd on review.
The king came down to see us, and the queen was with him too.
As I march'd by the royal coach the king just shook his head.
The queen put on her royal spec's and look'd at me and said -
Chorus
I'll never forget the day we went away to camp.
But the sun was hot, I drank a lot, I was nearly dead with cramp.
I'm very nearly certain sure I would have died that day,
But the thing that saved my life was when the band began to play-
Chorus
To hear the original recording by Harry Lauder, click the sheet music.
And to see the dance performed by the Tay Dancers in 2017, see below.
Click the dance cribs or description below to link to a printable version of the dance!
