Barleyjuice is a sextet devoted to traditional Celtic music. It ws started … Read Full Bio ↴Barleyjuice is a sextet devoted to traditional Celtic music. It ws started by Staten Island native, Keith Swanson. Although all sing with verious Celtic accents, all six of the band members - Kyf Brewer, Keith Swanson, Billy Dominick, Jimmy Carbomb, Eric Worthington, and Gregor Schroeder - are native Americans (as opposed to Native Americans).

BARLEYJUICE TRIVIA:
Brewer is the group's frontman. In other lives, he has appeared in Dodge commercials and acted in movies ("Serial Mom" and "Fahrenheit 911") and on TV ("Homicide" and "Hack"). Carbomb owns a kilt-making company on the side.

What\'s Up Yours?
Barleyjuice Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Behind the pleated curtain

Finnich inarra finnich aneeah
Finnich a feileadh mor
A trophy or two and a ribbon of blue
What′s up yours?

When Irish eyes are smiling
What do you think they're smiling for?
It′s a nod and a wink to me lucky charms
What's up yours?

We stand here proud before the king
We love to pipe, we love to sing
Perhaps I'll do the highland fling
To show you my affection

Ye lasses with your scarlet sash
I′ll give your necks a good whiplash
If you should turn and catch me crack
A smile in your direction

Finnich inara finnich aneeah
Finnich a feileadh mor
Could be the loch ness monster
What′s up yours?
You can give the lass her fairin
But the gems she will adore
Are the ones she¹ll see above your knee
What's up yours?

Finnich inara finnich aneeah
Finnich a feileadh mor
A thundrous crack and a union jack
What′s up yours?
When irish eyes are smilin'
What d′you think they're smilin′ for?
It's a nod & a wink to me lucky charms
What's up yours?

Finnich inara finnich aneeah
Finnich a feileadh mor
A thundrous crack and a union jack
What′s up yours?
You can give the lass her fairin
But the gems she will adore
Are the ones she¹′l see above your knee
What's up yours?

Finnich inara finnich aneeah
Finnich a feileadh mor
Could be me jolly roger
What′s up yours?

Call it the lion rampant
Call it dragon lore

Willy wallace called it freedom!
What's up yours?

Overall Meaning

The song What's Up Yours by Barleyjuice is a jovial and upbeat tune that seems to celebrate the Scottish culture, its dress code, and the playful nature its people. The lyrics open with the scene at the fest where the rowdy boys in ancient dress make an appearance, but they refuse to confess what lurks beneath the tartan. This sets the tone for the rest of the lyrics that involve a lot of speculation, humor, and metaphor. The singers seem to be suggesting that there is something mysterious, suggestive, or even sensual about the Scottish garb and the way it drapes around the wearers' bodies. They wonder if there could be cloth or nothing at all beneath the pleated curtain, and they are left with their swirling imaginations.

The chorus is where the real fun begins. The singers ask the listeners what's up their kilts, and the phrase becomes a catchphrase throughout the song. They also suggest that when Irish eyes are smiling, it's a nod and a wink to their lucky charms. The singers playfully tease the ladies with scarlet sashes and promise to give their necks a good whiplash if caught looking. They also claim to stand proud before the king, love to pipe and sing, and plan to do the highland fling to show their affection. The song ends with a call to honor the Scottish heritage, the lion rampant, and the freedom it symbolizes.

Line by Line Meaning

You hear the rumblings at the fest
You sense the noise and commotion at the festival

Rowdy boys in ancient dress
Boisterous young men wearing traditional clothes

But nae a one will near confess
But not one of them will confess

What lurks beneath the tartan
What's underneath their Scottish kilts

You see the swagger and the sway
You notice their confident and stylish movements

Imagination runs away
Your mind begins to wander

Could there be cloth or is there nay
Could there be fabric or not

Behind the pleated curtain
Behind the folds of their kilts

Finnich inarra finnich aneeah
Scottish Gaelic phrases meaning 'finish here' and 'finish there'

Finnich a feileadh mor
Scottish Gaelic phrase meaning 'finish the great kilt'

A trophy or two and a ribbon of blue
Perhaps they won some prizes or awards

What's up yours?
What do you have under your kilt?

When Irish eyes are smiling
When Irish people are happy

What do you think they're smiling for?
What's the reason for their happiness?

It's a nod and a wink to me lucky charms
It's a secret reference to their good luck charms

We stand here proud before the king
We are proudly in front of the king

We love to pipe, we love to sing
We enjoy playing bagpipes and singing

Perhaps I'll do the highland fling
Maybe I will perform the Highland Fling dance

To show you my affection
To express my fondness

Ye lasses with your scarlet sash
You young women with your red cloth belt

I'll give your necks a good whiplash
I will give you compliments or a good time

If you should turn and catch me crack
If you turn and hear my comment or joke

A smile in your direction
A sign of friendliness or attraction towards you

Could be the loch ness monster
It's possibly the Loch Ness monster

You can give the lass her fairin
You can give the girl a present or gift

But the gems she will adore
But what she truly wants is what's under your kilt

A thunderous crack and a union jack
A loud noise and the United Kingdom flag

Call it the lion rampant
Call it the Scottish lion standard

Call it dragon lore
Recount the story of the dragon

Willy Wallace called it freedom!
William Wallace referred to it as freedom!

Writer(s): Swanson Keith Christopher, Brewer Kay Marie, Brewer Kyf, Ford Graham

Contributed by Liliana P. Suggest a correction in the comments below.

To comment on or correct specific content, highlight it

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Most interesting comment from YouTube:

@DariusOfPersia

4y↑4

You hear the rumblings at the fest
Rowdy boys in ancient dress
But nae a one will near confess
What lurks beneath the tartan
You see the swagger and the sway
Imagination runs away
Could there be cloth, or is there nae
Behind the pleated curtain?

Finnich inarra, finnich aneeah
Finnich a feileadh-mor
A trophy or two and a ribbon of blue
What's up yours?
When Irish eyes are smiling
What d'you think they're smiling for?
It's a nod and a wink to my lucky charms
What's up yours?

We stand here proud before the king
We love to pipe, we love to sing
Perhaps I'll do the highland fling
To show you my affection
You lassies with your scarlet sash
I'll give your necks a good whiplash
If you should turn and catch me crack
A smile in your direction

Finnich inarra, finnich aneeah
Finnich a feileadh-mor
Could be the Loch Ness Monster
What's up yours?
You can give the lass her fairin
But the gems she will adore
Are the ones she'll see above your knee
What's up yours?

Finnich inarra, finnich aneeah
Finnich a feileadh-mor
A thunderous crack and a Union Jack
What's up yours?
When Irish eyes are smiling
What d'you think they're smiling for?
It's a nod and a wink to my lucky charms
What's up yours?

Finnich inarra, finnich aneeah
Finnich a feileadh-mor
A trophy or two and a ribbon of blue
What's up yours?
You can give the lass her fairin
But the gems she will adore
Are the ones she'll see above the knee
What's up yours?

Finnich inarra, finnich aneeah
Finnich a feileadh-mor
A thunderous crack and a Union Jack
What's up yours?
Call it the lion rampant
Or call it dragon lore
Willy Wallace called it freedom!
What's up yours?

All comments from YouTube:

@8383kathy

Been following the Juice 12 years. Fabulous experience go see them live they rock

@brendairwin6213

2y↑1

awesome I love it

@YukaiRyujin

11y↑3

This band is awesome. I think I saw one of the members at the hotel we were staying at during Celtic Classic in Bethlehem PA this past weekend.

@kellywilliams529

Please post more Barlyjuice! Love you guys!

@agb-mobilegaming4913

Miss miss all of you

@mrkyf

12y↑3

from a guy in the band. Yes, we are totally making fun of the Scots, the Irish, the English, the Cornish, the Welsh, the Martians, and pretty much everybody.

@ideagirlconsulting

14y

awesome posting this one too

@soslothful

10y↑3

Jayus,Mary and Joesph that's funny.

@LSUChris

11y

AYE! Going to be at the Fair Hill Scottish Games to see ya...you've GOT to play this!

@TheSilverwolf19

12y

i saw them live when they were first born

@slbasmc

11y

Please come to Stemley Fire & Rescue---Talladega, Alabama and play

@DariusOfPersia

4y↑4

@ac130ugunship

11y

Sounds fair enough and no one is worried, Carry On

@ChiefDCS

12y

From Wikipedia (for TheDullahan, et al): "Bagpipes are a class of musical instrument, aerophones, using enclosed reeds fed from a constant reservoir of air in the form of a bag. Though the Scottish Great Highland Bagpipe and Irish uilleann pipes have the greatest international visibility, bagpipes have been played for centuries throughout large parts of Europe, the Caucasus, around the Persian Gulf and in Northern Africa." (Partial due to space limitations here.)

@lifeofandrewlynn9448

11y

Bagpipes were invented in the Egypt area, traveled all around. Most of Europe has some kind of bagpipe as a folk instrument

@ChiefDCS

12y

Yes, you are partially correct. I personally associate kilts and bagpipes "exclusively" to the Scots. However, Wikipedia goes further, see my next comment (not enough space here). As for the history class, I don't recall any teachings related to this at any level. Although I could have been asleep...or in my normal location at the back of the room with my desk facing the wall.

@mrkyf

14y

AnarchyAlleyCat - have you ever had a drink? it's open to rumination.

@Barleyjuicer

13y

@slbasmc thanks! but it's.... Kyf & Swanny

@ceilidhachaos1

QA/QA: https://youtu.be/TkSKoC3_NvE

@ac130ugunship

11y

Try Celtica Pipe Rock

@theninjacat7200

Lyrics anyone?

@AnarchyAlleyCat

14y

what does the expression "what's up yours" meen?

@MissBee13

What’s under your kilt.

@TomBrooklyn

11y

For some reason, many YouTube watchers are prone to arguing anything, for no good reason whatsoever. Many of them are foul-mouthed blokes, which we've been spared from so far in these comments, thankfully. Anyway, just ignore them and carry on.

@mattjrealtor

12y

And I thought AC/DC was the only band who could make a bagpipe sound cool!

@ChiefDCS

12y

@slbasmc Try Scottish. The kilt and bagpipes are exclusive to Scotland. They are actually making fun of Ireland and England!

@the-dullahan

12y

Since when are the Kilt and Bagpipes exclusive to Scotland? The band is a mix of Welsh, Cornish. Irish and Scottish. Their Pennsylvanian origins should make this obvious. Historically, the bagpipes were used in Cornwall and Ireland before Scotland and the kilt was used in Wales, Ireland and Cornwall and even Norway as early on as it was in Scotland. Did you fall asleep during history class or what?

@bennie777

5y↑1

This is just confused, or racist, are they talking about Scots or Irish? why would there be a union jack? cheap cultural appropriation from a bunch of ignorant septics, on the other hand, I'm very fond of "tartan is the colour" I guess, when you're from a country that doesn't have a culture beyond slavery and drone strikes on hospitals, you've got to steal other peoples, otherwise the songs would be very grim....or Wagner

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