An award-winning Tayside musician has saluted the indefatigability of notorious Dundee-raised former MP George Galloway by having a light hearted jib at him in song.
Perth-born Eddie Cairney, 65, who now lives in Arbroath, has released the third in a series of three albums – Blue Scotland Woad – which includes a song called The GG Blues, dedicated to ‘Gorgeous George’.
Eddie, who released the album for St Andrews Day, lampoons everything from Galloway’s 2005 showdown with US Senators over alleged Iraq oil dealings to his appearance the following year on reality TV show Celebrity Big Brother.
Eddie told The Courier: “The story behind the song about George Galloway (who had spells as MP for Glasgow, Bethnal Green and Bradford West) is it was written as a light hearted jib at him.
“I read a story a few years ago where George was being interviewed after his victory in Bradford and the interviewer asked him about his background.
“George then happened to mention that on a Saturday night his father, who was strictly teetotal, would line the kids up at the window and say ‘do you see that man over there, he’s drunk. If he wasn’t drunk he could afford to buy his children shoes’.
“Anyway this got me thinking about Dundee people and Dundee women in particular and how well Gorgeous George would fare if a bunch of Lochee women got a hold of him. I don’t think he would get a word in edgeways!”
Eddie, who recently wrote songs about Robert Burns, the Tay Road Bridge, the Queensferry Crossing – and who famously wrote the 1984 New Zealand Olympic anthem – was inspired to write the three Blue Scotland albums after being intrigued that the Scottish flag comes in a variety of blues hence Blue Scotland Sky and Blue Scotland Navy.
“The woad is just thrown in for good measure being the original blue,” he added.
“All three albums are about interesting and quirky people, places and things Scottish.
“They’re nearly all light hearted. I’ve tried to take a cartoon approach by emphasising the features that stand out.
“I normally write the words first and rework them over a period of several days but the music is written in a matter of seconds and in contrast to the lyrics I very rarely have to change anything.
“Some of the songs are blues numbers and boogie woogie while others are just ballads.”
THE GG BLUES
Verse 1
You are the greatest orator around today
And it’s love or hate at the mention of George Galloway
You owned the US senate wi’ words full of floors
You see they’d never met a Lochee lad Wi’ a mooth the size o’ your’s
But even though ye got the votes from Bradford city east
If ye come back tae Dundee George ye’d better haud yer wheesht
Chorus
Fasten up the button yer tongue can be cuttin’
Keep it buttoned George
Yer owr weel kent an’ yer no in Parliament
So keep it buttoned George
Refrain
Dinnae slag af Dundee George
Cause yer oot o yer depth an’ our yer heed
An’ If ye think ye can talk yer wie oot o’ this ane son
Well you’ll need to be very good indeed
Verse 2
Your desire to be a pussy cat and your nicotine habit
Can conspire tae mak ye look a wee bit wabbit
You could sink an entire navy with your broadside full
While never deviating from the original Mr Cool
But even though you can ballet dance on the political rung
If ye come back tae Dundee George ye’d better haud yer tongue
Chorus
Refrain
Chorus
