SCOTS Project - www.scottishcorpus.ac.uk Document : 45 Title : What happened to the butterflies? Author(s): George Hynd Copyright holder(s): George Hynd Audio transcription This is called 'What Happened to the Butterflies?'. It's a wee protest at what's actually happening to the world today. When did ye last see a butterfly Wi’ dancin’ wings go flutter by? Or hear a lark sing in the sky Its salutations from on high? Where are the [?]lucks[/?]? The lintie's gone White flashin’ jewels when sunlight shone. And when was the last time ye heard a [?]goldie[/?] whistle As it fed upon a flowerin’ thistle? Ye see, God made they things to last But now they're disappearin’ fast As man lays waste to the countryside They're scatterin’ insecticides. The wee lochans that once held true to plenty Now lie cald and bare and empty. For them the price is far too dear Oh [?]but[/?] man puts in the atmosphere. [inaudible] there's now a muckle drain That empties hills o' acid rain And Mother Nature's nae solution But tae dae wi’ that pollution. The hedgerows have all been torn away For bigger fields and higher pay And Japanese tractors night and day do toil As the wind blows away the precious soil. "Produce, produce!" is the common market cry As butter mountains reach the sky. "Try new chemicals, we must grow more", As rats get fat in the huge grain store. The fish around our shores have gone, Gutted by factory ships no more to spawn And whit used to be a tasty appetizer Is now turned into fertilizer. Mighty tankers now our coastlines spoil By spewin’ oot their discharged oil, While sea-birds in their thousands die Drowned in black gold no more to cry. They'll be nae mair sun-bathin’ on holidays Cos you'll soon be broon wi’ ultra-violet rays And they fancy stuff you spray on your hair Are knockin’ holes in the ozone layer. So as man goes on for a' he's worth Destroyed for me this planet Earth. Stop it now before it's too late Your self-destruction it can wait. Or maybe some time a child will look At a colour-picture in a book And sit and think and wonder why It never saw a butterfly. If like me you're a glutton And partial to a wee bit mutton, Take that stuff noo you'll need medication Cos even oor sheep have got radiation. This work is protected by copyright. All rights reserved. The SCOTS Project and the University of Glasgow do not necessarily endorse, support or recommend the views expressed in this document. Information about document and author: Audio Audio audience General public: For gender: Mixed Audience size: 1 Audio awareness & spontaneity Speaker awareness: Aware Degree of spontaneity: Spontaneous Audio medium Radio/audio: Audio relationship between recorder/interviewer and speakers Speakers knew each other: Yes Audio transcription information Transcriber id: 631 Year of transcription: 2004 Year material recorded: 1995 Word count: 391 Audio type Poetry reading/song/ballad performance: Author Author details Author id: 611 Forenames: George Surname: Hynd Gender: Male Decade of birth: 1940 Educational attainment: None Age left school: 15 Upbringing/religious beliefs: Protestantism Occupation: Retired Plasterer Place of birth: Dunfermline Region of birth: Fife Birthplace CSD dialect area: Fif Country of birth: Scotland Place of residence: Bilston, Roslin Region of residence: Midlothian Residence CSD dialect area: midLoth Father's occupation: Plasterer Father's place of birth: Kelty Father's region of birth: Fife Father's birthplace CSD dialect area: Fif Father's country of birth: Scotland Mother's occupation: Housewife Mother's place of birth: Kelty Mother's region of birth: Fife Mother's birthplace CSD dialect area: Fif Mother's country of birth: Scotland Languages: Language: English Speak: Yes Read: Yes Write: Yes Understand: Yes Circumstances: Language: Scots Speak: Yes Read: Yes Write: Yes Understand: Yes Circumstances: Participant Participant details Participant id: 611 Gender: Male Decade of birth: 1940 Educational attainment: None Age left school: 15 Upbringing/religious beliefs: Protestantism Occupation: Retired Plasterer Place of birth: Dunfermline Region of birth: Fife Birthplace CSD dialect area: Fif Country of birth: Scotland Place of residence: Bilston, Roslin Region of residence: Midlothian Residence CSD dialect area: midLoth Father's occupation: Plasterer Father's place of birth: Kelty Father's region of birth: Fife Father's birthplace CSD dialect area: Fif Father's country of birth: Scotland Mother's occupation: Housewife Mother's place of birth: Kelty Mother's region of birth: Fife Mother's birthplace CSD dialect area: Fif Mother's country of birth: Scotland Languages: Language: English Speak: Yes Read: Yes Write: Yes Understand: Yes Circumstances: Language: Scots Speak: Yes Read: Yes Write: Yes Understand: Yes Circumstances: