This week’s workout song is Ashley MacIsaac – Sleepy Maggie. I think it’s in Gaelic, that or some variation of Pig Latin. Pig Gaelic? It’s a chirpy language, anyway, so maybe Chipmunk Latin? I’m always a little paranoid about songs in foreign languages because you never know what they’re about. I really dig this song, but she could be singing about putting sugar in my gas tank or kinky sex acts for all I know. Maybe even kinky sex acts that involve putting sugar in my gas tank.
As the website I found the MP3 on says, this song features “fiddling and Gaelic vocals vs. trip-hop. Could almost come across as cheesy if it didn’t work so darn well.” I don’t think I can sum it up better than that.
P.S. Does anyone enjoy these links? If no one cares, I’ll stop posting them. Don’t want to bore you all.
P.P.S. M has kindly informed me that Ashley MacIsaac is a man. Damn these boys with girls’ names! I guess he’s obviously not the one singing either.
M says
November 15, 2005 at 1:15 pmAshley MacIsaac is a man, haha
PastaQueen says
November 15, 2005 at 1:32 pmBut Ashley is a girl’s name! Thanks for the info. I just updated the entry.
Fid says
November 15, 2005 at 5:04 pmUsually a lurker on most sights but thought I would let you know… it’s Scots Gaelic. It’s about dancing, a black mill and summer. Nothing too kinky.
PastaQueen says
November 15, 2005 at 7:01 pmOh wow, a reader speaks Gaelic! That’s so cool. Thanks for the translation.
M. says
November 15, 2005 at 7:35 pmHeh, I know, I was surprised when I found out too.
Kirsten says
November 16, 2005 at 4:54 amI don’t speak a word of Gaelic except for “Ciamar a tha thu?” which means “How are you?” Lowlander, me.
Isn’t there a boy-Ashley in “Gone with the Wind”? I haven’t read it, but I remember reading The Crow Road by Iain Banks, in which there’s a girl called Ashley and someone says it’s a boy’s name. (But you definitely get female Ashleys in Scotland, nonetheless).
This is a really Scottish entry, it appears…
I’ll listen to the song once I get on a computer with speakers! You’re not boring us!
PastaQueen says
November 16, 2005 at 10:36 amKirsten, that reminds me of a chapter in a book called “Freakonomics” which talks about the trends in naming kids over the years. I believe it said that boys names will commonly cross over to be girl names (Ashley, Leslie, Jamie, etc) but girl names hardly ever become boy names. So, I guess Ashley probably started out as a boy’s name and migrated into a female name.
Scarlett O’Hara’s crush in “Gone with the Wind” is indeed Ashley. I think I consider it a girl name because all the Ashley’s I’ve met are girls.
Kirsten says
November 16, 2005 at 11:16 amTracy, Shirley, Beverley, Vivian (and Lee), Leslie, Lindsay (another Scottish one)…
Yup, you’re right. (I have come across all of these on boys, either in fiction or real life).
I can think of only one trend-bucker – Christian, which used to be quite a common girl’s name in England and Scotland from mediaeval times on.
Fid says
November 18, 2005 at 7:48 pmI am Irish, so I know our Irish, though Scots Gaelic is similar but a bit different. Very nice song I have to say, having followed the link!
And I would probably have thought that Ashley was a girls name too.
Mon says
November 19, 2005 at 11:29 pmsince I live in the province that Ashley MacIsaac is from I thought I’d let you know whose singing in the song.
The fiddler is Ashley MacIsaac but the womans voice you here is Mary Jane Lamond – a celtic singer.
Wonderful song none the less, enjoy
PastaQueen says
November 20, 2005 at 10:03 pmMan, my readership is so international! Thanks for all the info guys. You’re better than google.
kat says
December 15, 2005 at 12:23 pmMy son’t name is Ashley. There’s an actor called ashley hamliton and a singer from the group o-town called ashley.
KalinasB says
August 24, 2006 at 3:56 pmThank you for interesting blog
Motivation says
September 3, 2006 at 5:12 pmI am Irish, so I know our Irish, though Scots Gaelic is similar but a bit different. Very nice song I have to say, having followed the link!
And I would probably have thought that Ashley was a girls name too.
Melanie says
September 22, 2006 at 12:31 pmFirst, I love your blog. I am a fellow fat girl that has been battling it, and find it inspiring to see someone who is real, and comfortable in her skin (relatively most of the time) even though that skin is over a bunch of fat. You are truly beautiful.
Second, Sleepy Maggie is such a completely awesome song. I thought the rest of the world had mostly forgotten that gem. Thanks for putting it back out there.
Sending some Big Texas Love,
Melanie
ellie says
January 17, 2010 at 11:12 pmIm Irish born but grew up in Australia, I went to school with 4 male and 1 female ashleys