Sosban Fach

Sosban Fach (Welsh for "Little Saucepan") is a traditional Welsh folk song. It is one of the best-known and most often sung songs in the Welsh language.

The song is based on a verse written by Mynyddog in 1873 as part of his song Rheolau yr Aelwyd ("Rules of the home") — see below. Talog Williams, an accountant from Dowlais, created the song we have today by altering Mynyddog's verse and adding four new verses.

The song catalogues the troubles of a harassed housewife. The song is associated with the rugby union club Llanelli RFC and, more recently, the Scarlets regional rugby side. The association derives from Llanelli's tin plating industry, which used to tin-plate steel saucepans and other kitchen utensils as a cheap supply to the British public. During the final years of Stradey Park, the former ground of Llanelli RFC and the Scarlets, the goalposts were adorned with Scarlet saucepans as a tribute to the town's history; the utensils have been transferred to the clubs' new ground, Parc y Scarlets. The Scarlets' official magazine is titled Sosban.

Bryn Terfel recorded the song on his 2000 album We'll Keep a Welcome.

When sung slowly, the melody can deceive non-speakers of Welsh into thinking the song is a hymn than rather than a folk song.

This song has been adopted by the fans of the rugby region, the Llanelli Scarlets. Many English variations can be heard in the stands during rugby matches.

After Llanelli beat a touring New Zealand side in November 1972, a new English chorus could be heard:

Other variations include the following.

Dafydd James refers to a player who scored the winning points in a Heineken Cup match.

A verse was "uncovered" in Patagonia that is sung by descendants of welsh settlers and follows the second original verse:

("The cat was buried in a funny place / In a box where Granny kept starch / Her body was placed in a grave / And the band is playing the death march.")

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