ABSTRACT
The original o f this very popular piece was the work o f G. S. M orris, an Aberdeenshire agricultural worker who in the 1930s became a professional entertainer and song-writer. Nicky tarns - an indispensable part o f a ploughm an’s a tt ire -a re leather thongs which are worn buckled just below the knee in order to prevent the bottom s o f the trouser legs from trailing in the mire. In Lancashire and Yorkshire they were called ‘yorks’ and Cum berland farm -labourers knew them as ‘yarks’ or ‘yaks’ . In Aberdeenshire and Perthshire, they were known as ‘wull-tam s’ (Will-tams) until the song became popular, and now throughout Scotland they are known by their M orayshire name from which the song takes its title.
