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Tammy Toddles

[ Roud 2497 ; Ballad Index RPG009 ; Mudcat 159760 ; trad.]

James Porter and Herschel Gower: Emergent Singer, Transformative Voice

Lizzie Higgins sang Tammy Toddles in 1975 on her Topic album Up and Awa’ Wi’ the Laverock and in 1985 on her Lismor album What a Voice. A live recording made by Peter Hall at the 1973 Aberdeen Folk Festival was included in 2006 on her Musical Traditions anthology In Memory of Lizzie Higgins. Peter Hall noted on the Topic album:

Child describes The Wee, Wee Man as “this extremely airy and sparkling ballad”, and the description suits the present song. The resemblances between the two are rather indistinct but just enough to suggest kinship. Lizzie uses an air closely akin to that of The Jolly Beggar.

And Rod Stradling noted in the Musical Tradition album’s booklet:

Only Lizzie and her mother Jeannie have been recorded singing this.

Tom Spiers notes that this song appears as Tammie Doodle in The Ballad Minstrelsy of Scotland Romantic and Historical (Glasgow: M Ogle and Co, 1871), p.198, annotated “The following lively little nursery piece is here set down from recitation”. Lizzie learned this song from her father. It’s a Victorian view of fairies, providing sympathetic intervention—minus their calamitous over-enthusiasm of which the Travellers were rightly wary.

Quinie sang Tammie Taddle in 2017 on her eponymous cassette Quinie. She noted:

Learnt from the repertoire of Lizzie Higgins (Peter Hall 1970s recording). Only Lizzie and her mother Jeannie have been recorded singing this. Tom Spiers Tom Spiers notes that this song appears as Tammie Doodle in The Ballad Minstrelsy of Scotland Romantic and Historical.

Jackie Oates sang Tammie Toddles on her 2022 album Gracious Wings. She noted:

I learnt this little song from the singing of Lizzie Higgins and adapted the words slightly. This is sung for Paddy, Flynn, Elliott, Sylvester and Solomon toddles and the little fabric house that they like to play in.

Lyrics

Lizzie Higgins sings Tammy Toddles

Tammy Toddle, he’s a canty chiel,
Sae canty and fae couthy;
The fairies like him unco weel
An built him a wee hoosie

An when the hoosie it was built,
All finished but the door,
The fairy man cam skipping in
An danced upon the floor.

He lowped up, he lowped doon,
He frisked and he flung.
’Til peer wee Tammy Toddle
Wes mal maist amang the throng.

Tammy Toddle he’s a canty chiel,
Sae canty and tae coosie
The fairies liked him unco weel
An built him a wee hoosie.