Dance Cauld Kail 1100

There are at least five known versions of the song “Cauld Kail in Aberdeen”, which range from the humorous to the bawdy to the absolutely nonsensical. Since the first two lines, which are common to all versions, make very little sense, it is to be surmised that the words are by now anachronistic and that in the 18th century they had a meaning, probably quite satirical, which is lost to us today. In fact, it is possible that many lines of the various versions of the song had double meanings, some obvious to us, some quite enigmatic.

“Kail” is a variety of cabbage, colewort, with open, curly leaves and “castocks” are the stalks of this homely vegetable. Kail leaves have the reputation for being cold to the touch and the old expression “as caller as a kail blade” is reminiscent of the fact that even in warm weather kail leaves were thought to be cool and were often used to hold butter which otherwise might have melted.

“Strabogie” is Strathbogie, on the River Bogie. A province of Aberdeenshire, the capital of Strathbogie is Huntly, a Gordon town. Here is the ruined Huntly Castle which began as a Norman fortress, and its enlargement, the Palace of Strathbogie, a magnificent Renaissance edifice built between 1597 and 1602 by the 1st Marquess of Huntly. Originally the 6th Earl, George Gordon (1562–1636) was the murderer of James Stuart, “The Bonnie Earl o’ Moray”. In spite of murder, insurrection and religious opposition, powerful Huntly, the Cock of the North, was a favourite of James VI and I and was created marquess in 1599 and, soon after, Lieutenant of the North.

Cauld kale in Aberdeen,
And castocks in Strabogie,
But yet I fear they’ll cook o’er soon,
And never warm the cogie.
The lasses about Bogie gight,
Their limbs, they are sae clean and tight,
That if they were but girded right,
They’ll dance the reel of Bogie.

Wow, Aberdeen, what did you mean,
Sae young a maid to woo, sir?
I’m sure it was nae a joke to her,
Whate’er it was to you, sir.
For lasses now are no sae blate,
But they ken auld folk’s out of date,
And better playfare can they get
Than castocks in Strabogie.
– Anonymous, from David Herd’s Ancient and Modern Scottish Songs, 1776

The “Bog o’ Gight” is the name once given to Gordon Castle near Fochabers in Morayshire, not over twenty miles from Huntly. Then, about twenty miles to the east of Huntly, near the town of Methlick are the remains of the ancient Castle of Gight, another Gordon stronghold.

“The reel of Bogie”, like “The Bob o’ Dunblane” and “The Ball of Kirriemuir”, has another connotation beyond that of dancing. Those were the days when sexual activity was considered to be perfectly natural and, often, humorous and not a matter to be avoided either in conversation or in print. There was precious little hypocrisy in the social aspects of 18th century Scottish life.

The “Aberdeen” referred to in the second stanza is, without any doubt, George Gordon, 3rd Earl of Aberdeen, “The Wicked Earl”, whose interest in both ladies and lasses was a marvel of his time (See “The Buchan Eightsome Reel”). Two miles from Methlick and the Castle of Gight is Haddo House which was the residence, officially at least, of Lord Aberdeen from his succession to the earldom in 1745 until his death in 1801 at the age of eighty-three.

The first verse of another anonymous version runs:

There’s cauld kail in Aberdeen,
And castocks in Strabogie,
where ilka lad maun hae his lass,
And I maun hae my cogie.
For I maun hae my cogie, sirs,
I canna want my cogie,
I wadna gie my three gir’d cog
For a’ the queans in Bogie.
– From Joseph Dale’s Collection of Scottish Songs, 1794.

Alexander, 4th Duke of Gordon (1743–1827), wrote a version of this popular song and it was included in Volume 2 (1788) of James Johnson’s The Scots Musical Museum. In the index, the editor gives the author as “The D___ of G___”.

There’s cauld kail in Aberdeen,
And castocks in Strabogie;
Gin I hae but a bony lass,
Ye’re welcome to your Cogie.
And ye may sit up a’ the night
And drink till it be braid day light;
Gie me a lass baith clean and tight,
  To dance the Reel of Bogie.

In Cotillions the French excel;
John Bull, in Countra dances;
The Spaniards dance Fandangos well,
Mynheer an All’mande prances;
In Foursome Reels the Scots delight.
The Threesome maist dance wondrous light;
But Twasome ding’ a’ out o’ sight,
  Danc’d to the Reel of Bogie.

Come, Lads, and view your Partners well,
Wale each blythsome Rogie;
I’ll tak this Lassie to mysel,
She seems sae keen and vogie:
Now, Piper lad, bang up the Spring;
The Countra fashion is the thing,
To prie their mou’s e’re we begin
  To dance the Reel of Bogie.

Now ilka lad has got a lass,
Save yon auld doited Fogie,
And ta’en a fling upo’ the grass,
As they do in Stra’bogie.
But a’ the lasses look sae fain,
We canna think oursel’s to hain;
For they maun hae their Come-again
  To dance the Reel of Bogie.

Now a’ the lads hae dontheir best,
Like true men of Stra’ bogie;
We’ll stop a while and tak a rest,
And tipple out a Cogie.
Come now, my lads, and tak your glass,
And try ilk other to surpass,
In wishing health to every lass
  To dance the Reel of Bogie.

Even Robert Burns added his contribution to the “kail” heap.

There’s cauld kail in Aberdeen,
  And castocks in Strathbogie,
When ilka lad maun hae his lass,
  Then fye, gie me my coggie.
Chorus
My coggie, Sirs, my coggie, Sirs,
  I cannot want my coggie;
I wadna gie my three-girr’d cap,
  For e’er a quean on Bogie.

There’s Johnie Smith has got a wife
  That scrimps him o’ his cogie,
If she were mine, upon my life
I   wad douk her in a bogie.

Yet a fifth version was by William Reid, a bookseller in Glasgow.

There’s cauld kail in Aberdeen,
And bannocks in Strabogie,
But naething drives awa the spleen
Sae well’s the social cogie.
That mortal’s life nae pleasure shares
Wha broods o’er a’ that’s fogie:
Whene’er I’m fasht wi’ warldy cares
I drown them in a cogie.

Thus merrily my time I pass,
With spirits brisk and vogie,
Blest wi’ my buiks and my sweet lass,
My cronies and my cogie.
Then haste and gie’s an old Scots sang
Sic like as Kathrine Ogie;
A gude auld sang comes never wrang,
When o’er a social cogie.

A cogie was a wooden bowl that held porridge, broth, or ale. It is suspected that in these old songs the cogie held more ale than broth.