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Broadford Bazaar Lyrics
Dirty white caravans down narrow roads sailing.
Vivas, Cortinas, weaving in their wake.
With hot, red-faced drivers, horns' flattened fifths wailing,
Putting trust in blind corners as they overtake.
And it's "All come willing now,
Spend a shilling now,
Stack up the back of your new motor-car.''
There's home-dyed woolens, and wee plastic Cuillins
The day of the Broadford Bazaar.
Out of the north, no oil-rigs are drifting.
And jobs for the many are down to the few.
Blue-bottle choppers, they visit no longer.
Like flies to the jampots, they were just passing through.
And it's "All come willing now,
Spend a shilling now,
Stack up the back of your new motor-car''
Where once stood oil-rigs so phallic
There's only swear-words in Gaelic
To say at the Broadford bazaar.
All kinds of people come down for the opening.
Crofters and cottars, white settlers galore.
And up on the hill, there's an old sheep that's dying,
But it had two new lambs born just a fortnight before.
And it's "All come willing now,
Spend a shilling now,
Stack up the back of your new motor-car.''
We'll take pounds, francs and dollars from the well-heeled,
And stamps from the Green Shield.
The day of the Broadford Bazaar.
Vivas, Cortinas, weaving in their wake.
With hot, red-faced drivers, horns' flattened fifths wailing,
Putting trust in blind corners as they overtake.
And it's "All come willing now,
Spend a shilling now,
Stack up the back of your new motor-car.''
There's home-dyed woolens, and wee plastic Cuillins
The day of the Broadford Bazaar.
And jobs for the many are down to the few.
Blue-bottle choppers, they visit no longer.
Like flies to the jampots, they were just passing through.
Spend a shilling now,
Stack up the back of your new motor-car''
Where once stood oil-rigs so phallic
There's only swear-words in Gaelic
To say at the Broadford bazaar.
Crofters and cottars, white settlers galore.
And up on the hill, there's an old sheep that's dying,
But it had two new lambs born just a fortnight before.
Spend a shilling now,
Stack up the back of your new motor-car.''
We'll take pounds, francs and dollars from the well-heeled,
And stamps from the Green Shield.
The day of the Broadford Bazaar.
Add your song meanings, interpretations, facts, memories & more to the community.
The song describes a regular market or fair - 'the Broadford Bazaar' - held at Broadford on the Isle of Skye. The song alludes to the economic situation following the decline of the oil industry ("jobs for the many are down to the few") and contrasts the wealthy tourists who are able to spend "pounds, francs and dollars" on souvenirs ("home-dyed woollens and wee plastic Cuillins") with locals who can only pay in 'Green Shield' trading stamps.
There's a hopeful note, however, in the image of the "old sheep that's dying" which had "two new lambs just a fortnight before", suggesting that despite the hard times, Skye and its economy will revive again.
Vauxhall Vivas and Ford Cortinas are makes of car. These cars are definitely not luxury vehicles, reinforcing the idea of economic decline.
The correct lyric is indeed "wee plastic Cuillins".
The Cuillin are a range of hills on the Isle of Skye (Ian Anderson now lives on Skye). Broadford is also a place name from Skye.
"horns flattened, fists whaling" should be "horns' flattened-fifths wailing" A 'flattened fifth' is a technical term in music.
"down our road, sailing" should probably be "down narrow road sailing"
"cottiers" should be "cotters"
"...putting trust in blind comers as they overtake..." I always thought that it was actually 'corners'. If you overtake on a blind corner, well, trust is a handy thing to have. Unless you are just reckless......I suppose a blind comer also refers to a car you may not see until you enter the opposing lane to overtake. Probably overthinking it.....