Lancashire Dialect
By Jeff Unsworth
Gradely Meyt
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It's ard fot understond dialect.
Ikkle surprise mi if tha con.
Cos theres cert'in things that’s said reawnd here.
Tha corn't mek yed nor tail on.
I mean, eaw con't expect a Southerner.
Us is in a queue wi us.
Understond when some yowth asks.
For two un orf peawnd er praytus.
Neaw.. folk up north are gradely.
Un by God thi know eawt eyt.
Cos thowduns learn or't younguns.
Eawt cook a piece er meyt.
Theres tripe un brawn un wessun.
Lambs fry un slavvery duck.
Theres ceawheel un sometimes a nice sheeps yed.
Wi't legs wi any luck.
Theres elder,pigs cheek un trotters.
Oxtail un a nice bit er tung.
Burr it's moo'istly thowduns that eyt it.
They'l not touch it when theyre young.
Today they know nowt abeawt cookin.
They gerr it aw eawt of a con.
Or else theyre defrost'in a packit.
Thowd road of cookin is gone.
In't thowd days, nowt gett'n wasted.
Ballyhond day, in't miggle er't week.
Aw't left ore's geet clod in a greyt fry'in pon.
Un come eawt as bubble un squeek.
Toad in't th'ole, lobbies un broth.
Else bakin till aw hars er't neet.
Jackbit that went a good way.
Were't th'answer for mek'in theends meet.
Tha could'nt blame really.
It were hard fot mek them eend's meet.
They did best thi could, with what they could get.
Un moo'ist were run off theyre feet.
I look back sometimes ter't thowd days.
Un although there were'nt allus Mey't.
I remember there were allus jackbit.
We allus had summ'ut fot eyt.
Very Good Food (Translation)
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It's hard to understand dialect.
It will surprise me if you can.
For there's certain things that’s said round here.
You can't make head or tail on.
How can you expect a southerner.
That is in a queue with us.
Understand when someone asks.
For two and a half pound of potato's.
Now folk up north are good folk.
And by God they know how to eat.
For the old ones teach all the young ones.
How to cook a piece of meat.
There's tripe and brawn and wesson.
Lambs fry and savoury duck.
There's cow heel and sometimes a nice sheeps head.
With the legs with any luck.
There's elder, pigs cheek and trotters.
Oxtail and a nice bit of tongue.
But it's mostly the old ones that eat it.
They won't touch it when they're young.
Today they nothing about cooking.
They get it all out of a can.
Or else they're defrosting a packet.
The old way's of cooking are gone.
In the old days, nothing got wasted.
Ballyhand day was the middle of the week.
All the leftovers were thrown into a large frying pan.
And came out as bubble and squeak.
Toad in the hole,lobbies and broth.
Or baking all through the night. ( neet )
Food that went a long way.
Was the answer to making ends meet.
You could'nt blame them really.
It was hard to make the ends meet.
They did they're best with what they could get.
And most were run off they're feet.
I look back now to those days.
And although there were'nt always meat.
I remember there was always food.
We always had something to eat.