Jock Duncan sings the ancient Scottish ballad of Lang Johnnie More. Recorded at FifeSing2003 - the Fife Traditional Singing Festival held in Collessie in the heart of the ancient Kingdom of Fife in Scotland.

Lang Johnnie More

TAM'S OLD LOVE SONG (Air)/ BANKS OF KALE WATER (Reel) 1.25

On Springthyme SPRCD 1044
Tom Hughes & Friends: Traditional Fiddle Music of the Scottish Borders
www.springthyme.co.uk/1044/

Tom never had titles to these tunes which he learned when he was a boy.  The beautiful slow air Tam’s Old Love Song gained its name after many requests for Tom to play ‘that old love song’ and the reel The Banks of Kale Water is named after the area where Tom lived for many years. The slow air is given added power by Wattie’s improvised harmony line and Tom’s occasional use of a snap bow. Since the recording was released in 1981, the tune has become popular among the younger generation of Border fiddle players and is often now played in the key of G. The irregular 2/4 bars can be regularised into 3/4 – but part of the charm of the tune surely lies in the varying pulse of the music, particularly in the short second part. The second tune The Banks of Kale Water is also irregular as played.
Two fiddles: Tom Hughes and Wattie Robson.

Tom Hughes & Friends: Tam's Old Love Song/ Banks of Kale Water

FAUDENSIDE POLKA 2.02

Tom Hughes & Friends: Traditional Fiddle Music of the Scottish Borders
www.springthyme.co.uk/1044/

When Tom first started playing for dances in Yetholm with his father in the early 1920s, the folk from the nearby farm at Faudenside were always asking for a polka. The first two parts of the tune are similar to a tune entitled Hawk's Polka attributed to James Hill who, though born in Dundee, lived many years at The Hawk, a pub in Gateshead. The third part of the tune may have been composed by Tom's father.
Solo fiddle: Tom Hughes.

Tom Hughes & Friends: Faudenside Polka

AULD GRADEN KIRN (St. Bernard's Waltz) 1.30

Tom Hughes & Friends: Traditional Fiddle Music of the Scottish Borders
www.springthyme.co.uk/1044/

When Tom and his father played for dances this was the common tune for the St Bernard's Waltz. Tom had no title to the tune but the kirn at Old Graden near Yetholm was always a great gathering.
Solo fiddle: Tom Hughes.

Tom Hughes & Friends: Auld Graden Kirn

BRAES O MAR (Strathspey) 1.30

Tom Hughes & Friends: Traditional Fiddle Music of the Scottish Borders
www.springthyme.co.uk/1044/

This favourite strathspey was old when first published in Bremner's collection in the 1750s. Tom and Wattie play Braes O Mar in the same way that Tom played the tune with his father in the 1920s – the parts first played separately, followed by the high and low alternative second parts played together as a duet. In several old collections the high, second part (B) of Braes O Mar is referred to as the ‘old’ set, and the low second part (C) (an octave below) as an alternative ‘new’ set. The tune was considered old when first published by Robert Bremner in his A Collection of Scots Reels and Country Dances (1757). The original pipe tune is said to have been played when the Earl of Mar raised the Jacobite standard and assembled the clan as at Braemar on Deeside in 1715 before the march to Sherriffmuir. 
Two fiddles: Tom Hughes and Wattie Robson.

Tom Hughes & Friends: Braes O Mar

Sitting in the Stern of a Boat (Mi 'm shuidh' an Deireadh Bata)
From the album Ossian - Ossian on Springthyme (SPRCD 1004).

This beautiful slow air was composed in the 18th century by the Rev. William McLeod and represents his thoughts as he sailed away from his native Bracadale in the Isle of Skye to take up a parish in Argyll. Taken from Captain Simon Fraser’s Knockie Collection of 1816. 

Ossian - named after the legendary 3rd century Celtic Bard and folk hero, was formed in 1976, and this was their first album of Scottish/Celtic music - released in 1997 on CD. The band went on to record a series of albums on their own 'Iona' label.

This song is from the Springthyme CD Ossian: <a href="http://www.springthyme.co.uk/1004/" target="_parent">OSSIAN</a>.

Ossian: Sitting in the Stern of a Boat

Auchmithie is a small fishing village close to the town of Arbroath on the Scottish east coast - famous as the original place where haddock were smoked to make the Arbroath smokies. The song text is given below.

Bothy songs and Scottish country music have been a part of life at the Foundry Bar in Arbroath ever since the time when the only customers were the foundry workers from over the road (the foundry has long since gone), the fisher fowk from the town, and the fairm chiels in from the Angus countryside for the weekly fairs and markets.

In 1975 some of the Foundry Bar musicians got together, entered and won the Ceilidh Band competition at the Kinross festival – and so was born ‘The Foundry Bar Band’. This, their first album, was issued in 1981 and it has been a top selling album ever since - first as an LP, then on cassette and now remastered in CD format.

Few bands, professional or otherwise, can so well convey the essential lilt of Scottish music with such enjoyment and enthusiasm. The fame of ‘the foondry’ as a musical gathering place has spread far and wide, and on a couple of nights a week the back room is filled to capacity with musicians and enthusiasts from near and far.

• AUCHMITHIE •

There’s a wee fishing village on the shores of the North Sea,
Once famous for smoked haddock and they ca’d it Auchmithie;
I don’t know where this name came from or what it really means,
But once ye know Auchmithie ye’ll see it in your dreams.

It was there that I wis born many, many years ago,
In a wee old stone cottage overlooking the round-o,
Wi the cliffs sae high and rugged, washed by wild seas from below,
Such a place ye will ne’er see, no matter where ye go.

For I’ve been around Loch Lomond and Tobermoray Bay, 
Inverary and Loch Fyne and all along the way; 
But the bonniest spot that I’ve seen and aye will be tae me, 
Is the rocks and cliffs and green braes o ma dear home Auchmithie.

© 1981 J. Reid & N. Buick pub Springthyme Music.

This track is from the Springthyme CD <a href="http://www.springthyme.co.uk/1007/" target="_parent">The Foundry Bar Band</a>.

Foundry Bar Band: Auchmithie

Iain McLachlan: An Island Heritage

Iain McLachlan's music comes as fresh as the sea breezes wafting over the Uist machair - Highland and Gaelic as his island heritage. I recall two wonderful music sessions with Iain at a ceilidh and dance in Daliburgh in South Uist back in 1976 and again at one of the famous Kinross Festivals where he played about a dozen pipe marches off the cuff with the unbroken link up that comes of playing at a thousand dances.

Iain, from Benbecula, is best known as an accordionist, but on this recording he also plays fiddle and melodeon, and is joined by Calum Iain MacCorquodale of Bayhead, North Uist on accordion and fiddle and by Calum Campbell of Balivanich on goose and jaws harp. His Highland Harry using the trill grace note which was a favourite ornament with the old Highland fiddlers, and the two pipe reels of Drummond and The Sheepwife on accordion with Calum on the goose, are truly inspiring
[from sleeve notes by Aonghas Grant, Lochaber].

Here he plays the well known pipe tune The Conundrum - Iain on button accordion (Hohner Shand Morino) and Calum Campbell on the goose (the Highland bagpipe without drones).

This is a track from the album Iain McLachlan: <a href="http://www.springthyme.co.uk/1022/" target="_self">An Island Heritage</a>.

Iain McLachlan: The Conundrum

The Wassail celebration involves Christmas revellers taking a Wassail bowl, usually a large wooden vessel from house to house to distribute good cheer. This version was recorded in 1972 from Lemmie Brazil - a member of a large Gypsy traveller family in Gloucester. A near complete collection of the songs and music of the family is available as a 3CD set on the Musical Traditions label: The Brazil Family: Down by the Old Riverside - although this song was not included. But here it is sung by the 82 year old Lemmie:

Wassail Song
From the singing of Lemmy Brazil, Gloucester 26 December 1972.  Collected by Peter Shepheard  (Springthyme 67.8.3). 

He said I ain’t come here not to beg or not to borrow,
I have come here just to drive away my sorrow,
A bit of your good cake an’ a drop of your strong beer,
An’ I hope you merry Chrissemas an’ a happy New Year.

Come all you lucky gentlemen that sits around the fire,
Remember us poor wassailers who walks through muddy mire,
A bit o’ your good cake and a drop o’ your strong beer,
An’ I hope you merry Chrissemas an’ a happy New Year.


Lemmie Brazil: Wassail Song

Lemmie Brazil was a member of a large Gypsy traveller family in Gloucester. Like other members of the family, brothers Hyram, Harry, Danny, she had an extensive repertoire of traditional folk songs and tunes. She also played the melodeon and here she plays a tune she called God Killed the Devil O on her single row Hohner melodeon in the key of C. She was 82 years old when she recorded this in her caravan in Gloucester at Christmas 1972 for folk enthusiast and collector Pete Shepheard. Lemmie often played the melodeon for step dancing at which all the family were experts. 

A near complete collection of the songs and music of the family is available as a 3CD set on the Musical Traditions label: The Brazil Family - Down by the Old Riverside. This tune is related to the Scottish strathspey Monymusk and is the fourth track on the first CD. 
CD: http://www.springthyme.co.uk/brazil/

Lemmie Brazil: God Killed The Devil O

Jim Reid - a man who many will consider as one of Scotland's finest folksingers - passed away on Monday 6th July 2009 after a long illness. His contribution to Scotland's singing tradition has been immense and, in 2005, he was voted Scots Singer of the Year in the Scots Trad Music Awards. His love of the poetry of Tayside and Angus and, in particular, his inspired setting to music of poems by Violet Jacob and Helen Cruickshank have given us a lasting legacy. His setting of Violet Jacob's Wild Geese (or Norland Wind) has become a classic of the folk song repertoire. 

It was at Jim's suggestion that some of the musicians from the regular sessions at Arbroath's Foundry Bar got together, entered and won the 1971 Ceilidh Band competition at the Kinross Festival - and so was born the hugely influential and highly enjoyable Foundry Bar Band who played at festivals, ceilidhs and dances for nearly another 30 years. Jim had already issued a couple of albums with the Foundry Bar Band (http://www.springthyme.co.uk/1007) but it was his solo 'Wild Geese' album (http://www.springthyme.co.uk/1015), first issued in 1984, that established him as one of Scotland's finest singers.

"Far abune the Angus straths I saw the wild geese flee;
A lang, lang skein o beatin wings wi their heids toward the sea."

Set to music by Jim, this was originally written as a poem by Violet Jacob in 1915. The song is also known under the alternative title Norland Wind.

1: "Oh tell me fit was on yer road, ye roarin Norland wind?
As ye come blawin frae the land that's never frae ma mind.
Ma feet they traivel England but I'm deein for the North."
"Ma man, I saw the siller tides rin up the Firth o Forth."
 
2: "Aye wind, I ken them weel eneuch an fine they fa and rise,
And fain I'd feel the creepin mist on yonder shore that lies.
But tell me as ye pass them by, fit saw ye on the way?"
"Ma man, I rocked the rovin gulls that sail abin the Tay."
 
3: "Bit saw ye naethin leein wind afore ye come tae Fife?
For there's muckle lyin 'yont the Tay that's mair tae me nor life."
"Ma man, I swept the Angus braes that ye hivna trod for years."
"Oh wind, forgie a hameless loon that canna see for tears."
 
4: "And far abin the Angus straths I saw the wild geese flee,
A lang, lang skein o beatin wings wi their heids toward the sea,
And aye their cryin voices trailed ahint them on the air."
"Oh wind, hae mercy, haud your wheesht for I daurna listen mair."

Scots Words:
The poem is written in the Angus dialect of Scots. fit - what, frae - from, deein - dying, traivel - travel, eneuch - enough, muckle - much, mair - more. "Haud yer wheesht" in the last line is an expression you would use to a friend or child, telling them to be quiet/stop talking.

Translation: Scots words anglicised - but please sing the Scots! 

1: "Oh tell me what was on your road, you roaring Norland wind?
As you come blowing from the land that's never from my mind.
My feet they travel England but I'm dying for the North."
"My man, I saw the silver tides run up the Firth o Forth."
 
2: "Oh wind, I ken them well enough and fine they fall and rise,
And fain I'd feel the creeping mist on yonder shore that lies.
But tell me as ye pass them by, what saw ye on the way?"
"My man, I rocked the roving gulls that sail above the Tay."
 
3: "But saw ye nothing, lying wind, before ye came to Fife?
For there's much lying beyond the Tay that's more to me than life."
"My man, I swept the Angus braes that you havn't trod for years."
"Oh wind, forgive a homeless lad that cannot see for tears."
 
4: "And far above the Angus straths I saw the wild geese flee,
A long, long skein of beating wings with their heads toward the sea,
And aye their crying voices trailed behind them on the air."
"Oh wind, have mercy, hold your tongue for I dare not listen more."

The Angus straths are farmland between the Grampian mountains of highland Perthshire and the Firth of Tay. Fife lies between the Tay to the north and the Firth of Forth to the south.

Jim Reid - I Saw The Wild Geese Flee

The Wild Geese / Norland Wind

Jim Reid: The Wild Geese/ Norland Wind

Tattie Jock is a song dating from the 1820s and tells of the transportation to Botany Bay of several men from the farm of Craigie in Fife, Scotland. The farmer had caught the farmworkers - horse ploughmen - stealing potatoes. He called in the police and this resulted in a fight between the police and the men. The men were taken to court and transported for 14 years to the hardships of slavery in Australia.
  
Recorded by Peter Shepheard from the singing of Archie Webster, Strathkinness. Recorded 17 June 1968 (68.2.34) & 14 Sep 1971 at Peat Inn (71.3). Transcribed and adapted Peter Shepheard. © Springthyme Music 1968. Published in the Scottish Folksinger. Collins (1973). Also recorded from Eck Harley of Cupar 16 May 1968 (68.2.29). 

The Sound Cloud track here starts with a recording of Pete Shepheard leading the song with chorus made at the FifeSing Traditional Singing Festival in May 2011. This is followed by the archive recordings of Eck Harley and Archie Webster edited together.

1: Ye aa hae heard o Tattie Jock,
Likewise o Mutton Peggie,
They had a fairm in the North o Fife,
An the name o it wis Craigie.

Chorus:
	Singin ah riddle aye, roo rum di do,
	Ah riddle aye, roo rum day.

2: There were ten pair upon that place,
Likewise ten able men;
It’s five they gaed tae kinnle the fire,
An the ither five oot tae scran.

3: Three month we saired wi Tattie Jock
An weel did we agree,
Till we fund oot that the tattie shed,
Could be opened wi the bothy key.

4: We aa gaed in tae the tattie shed,
Oor bags were hardly full,
When Tattie Jock in ahint the door,
Cries, “Aye, ma lads, stand still!”

5: The first he got wis Jimmy Marr,
The next wis Willie Doo;
There wis Jimmy Grey an Wull Moncur,
An Jimmy Pethrie flew.

6: Next day some o us were drivin dung,
An some were at the mill;
But better we’d been at the ploo,
Upon Pitlootie Hill.

7: They sent for ten big policemen,
But nine there only cam;
It dinged them for tae tak’s that nicht,
Us bein ten able men.

8: Johnny Grey wis the hemaist lad,
The best lad o us aa;
He jined a man o war ship at Leith,
So’s he need na stand the law.

9: When we were gettin oor sentences,
We aa stood roond and roond;
But when we heard o the fourteen years,
Oor tears cam rollin doon.

10: When Tattie Jock he heard o this,
He cried an grat fu sore;
A thousand guineas he wad pay,
If that wad clear oor score.

11: A bag o gold he did produce,
Tae pay it there an then;
But the lawyer only told him, 
Money wouldna clear his men.

12: As we were bein mairched up through Perth,
We heard the news boys say,
“It’s hard tae see sic able men,
Rade aff tae Botany Bay.”

13: When we arrive in Botany Bay,
Some letters we will send,
Tae tell oor friends the hardships,
We endure in a foreign land.
	Singin ah riddle aye, roo rum di do,
	Ah riddle aye, roo rum day.

Archie Webster: This is a story which happened quite a number of years ago when the Clydesdales used to draw the ploughs - the swing plough, steered by the skill o the ploomen o Fife. On Craigie fairm there were ten pair of these animals, the ploughman’s pride. These ten men worked these horses with skill but they were subject tae the failings of all flesh and, as wages wasnae very big, they used tae help their selves a bit fae the fairm produce. One day they were caught. Theft was a terrible crime at that time – a man could be hanged for stealing a sheep. Well, the ploomen o Craigie were caught stealing tatties be the fairmer, a man who boasted the nickname Tattie Jock. This is the ballad of Craigie.

Research at the Scottish Records Office reveals that the farms of Craigie and Pusk beside Leuchars were farmed by two brothers in the 1820s. They grew and dealt in potatoes - hence the byname of Tattie Jock. The potatoes were carted to Tayport for distribution to Edinburgh and Dundee by sea. They also rented a shed at St Andrews harbour.

Links:
Springthyme Records: www.springthyme.co.uk
FifeSing Traditional Singing Festival: www.springthyme.co.uk/fifesing/

Tattie Jock

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		THE KELTY CLIPPIE
		Written by John Watt of Dunfermline, the song of the Kelty Clippie became a hit as soon as it was recorded - released first on a vinyl LP in 1976 on the album Shores of the Forth - sung by John Watt and Davey Stewart with the Beggars Mantle Ceilidh Band. 
		The song celebrates the passing of way of life - the bus conductress known in Fife as the clippie. 

1: I have traivelled ower this country,
	Frae shore tae shining shore;
Frae the swamps o Auchterderran,
	Tae the jungles o Lochore.
But in aa these far flung places,
	There’s nane that can compare;
Wi the Lily o Lumphinnans,
	She’s ma bonnie Maggie Blair.

2: Frae the pyramids up in Kelty,
	Tae the mansions in Glencraig ;
We’ve trod the bings together,
	In mony’s the blyth stravaig.
Watched the moonlight over Crosshill,
	Trod Buckhaven’s golden sand;
And mony’s the happy oor we’ve spent,
	In Lochgelly’s Happy Land.

Chorus:
Oh she’s just a Kelty Clippie,
	She’ll no tak nae advice;
It’s, “Ach drap deid, awa bile yer heid,
	Or Ah’ll punch yer ticket twice!”
Her faither’s just a waster,
	Her mither’s on the game;
She’s just a Kelty Clippie,
	But I love her just the same.

3: Well I met her on the ‘eight fifteen’,
	That nicht o romantic bliss;
Ah says “Hey Mag, pit doon yer bag,
	And gie’s a wee bit kiss.”
But she didnae tak that kindly,
	No she didnae like ma chaff;
And bein a contrary kind o lass,
	She says, “Come oan get aff.”

4: Noo she hasnae got nae culture,
	Oh she drives me roond the bend;
Oh she sits every nicht in an old arm chair,
	Readin the People’s Friend.
Her lapels is fu o badges,
	Frae Butlins doon at Ayr;
And she gangs tae the Bingo every nicht,
 	Wi the curlers still in her hair.

5: But things is a wee bit better noo,
 	Ah’ve gone and got the ring;
Ah won it frae John at the pitch and toss,
	Last night at the Lindsay bing.
Wi her wee black hat and her ticket machine,
	She did ma hert ensnare;
She’s the Lily o Lumphinnans,
	She’s ma bonnie Maggie Blair.

Chorus:
Oh she’s just a Kelty Clippie,
	She’ll no tak nae advice;
It’s, “Ach drap deid, awa bile yer heid,
	Or Ah’ll punch yer ticket twice!”
Her faither’s just a waster,
	Her mither’s on the game;
She’s just a Kelty Clippie,
	But I love her just the same.		

‘Clippie’ – Bus Conductress; ‘Pyramids’ – the Pit Bings (slag heaps); ‘Happyland’ – Miners’ Rows in Lochgelly in Fife, now demolished; ‘Pitch and Toss’ – Game of chance favoured in mining areas where bets are made on the toss of a coin. The tune is an adaptation of the well known Scots song Maggie Cockabendie.
		Fife’s Got Everything according to one of the songs by John and Davey on the album. A slightly exaggerated claim perhaps, but these two Fifers from Dunfermline and St Andrews respectively go a long way to prove it. Comedy songs, serious songs and recitations paint both a contemporary and past picture of this beautiful part of Scotland from two of the finest entertainers to come out of the ancient ‘Kingdom of Fife’. King James VI of Scotland described Fife as a ‘beggar’s mantle fringed with gold’ and this inspired the name of the band who provide the instrumentals and the backings - Jock Ritchie from Inverkeithing on fiddle, Jock Mullen from Kelty on accordion, Robin McKidd from Glenrothes on guitar and bass and Brian Miller from Penicuik on guitar and mandolin.

Buy the CD from the Springthyme webpage for <a href="http://www.springthyme.co.uk/1002/">John Watt & Davey Stewart: Shores of the Forth</a> where there are links to iTunes to download the Kelty Clippie and other songs on the album. 
		
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Kelty Clippie

SHORES OF THE FORTH/ FISHER's HORNPIPE

Sung by Davey Stewart with the Beggars Mantle Ceilidh Band, the song Shores of the Forth was composed by Matt Armour from Anstruther in Fife. The town of Anstruther, known locally as Ainster, is a thriving fishing port in the East Neuk of Fife. The herring shoals disappeared from the Forth many years ago forcing the boats to travel further and further in search of catches. The song captures the feelings of fisher folk of the area to the changing fortunes of the fishery.

1: Come aa you East Neuk fishin lads that stand in the prime o yer youth,
Come sit awhile alang wi me, I’ll tell ye aa the truth;
For I’ve lived nearby for aa ma days alang East Ainster toon,
Noo I’m gey near deid, I’ve earned ma breid, on the cauld hard herrin grunds.

Chorus:
In the auld trawl boats and the lang seine nets,
￼I’ve yaised up all o my youth;
Noo the herrin grund’s nae mair are fund,
￼Alang the shores o the Forth.

2: I signed wi Jimmy Gairdiner on the Annie Dear for tae sail,
Pit on a suit o ileskins, the makin o Willie Miles;
And I gaed tae the herrin grund, and man, that life was hard,
But a man stood high when his catch was cried alang by the auld sail yaird.

3: Ma brither Tam gaed doon alow when the Rose of Forth turned ower,
And I masel near done the same in the year o ’24;
These hands that used tae drag aa day are spleen and thrawn wi pain,
When an East wind’s blawn, I’m aa for gaun tae the herrin grunds again.

Chorus:
In the auld trawl boats and the lang seine nets,
￼I’ve yaised up all o my youth;
Noo the herrin grund’s nae mair are fund,
￼Alang the shores o the Forth.

FISHER'S HORNPIPE
A popular hornpipe favourite, Fisher's Hornpipe, is a traditional dance tune, and a popular fiddle competition tune, documented in manuscripts dating back to the late 1700's. It is well known in Scottish and Irish tradition and has been retained in the Appalachian tradition where is not uncommon to hear it at bluegrass and old time festivals. Recently, it became even more popular among bluegrass mandolin pickers, as a result of two young, lightning-fingered mandolin players. It has become a popular tune to play at Scottish/Irish/Celtic sessions and in the USA, where it is often played faster in 4/4 time it is a favourite at a Bluegrass jam, a Fiddle jam and an Old-Time jam ... how's that for versatility!

John Watt &amp; Davey Stewart put together the Beggar's Mantle Ceilidh Band to accompany the songs on their album <a href="http://www.springthyme.co.uk/1002/">Shores of the Forth</a> and provide some lively ceilidh music: Jock Ritchie from Inverkeithing on fiddle, Jock Mullen from Kelty on accordion, Robin McKidd from Glenrothes on guitar and bass and Brian Miller from Penicuik on guitar and mandolin. 

Fife’s Got Everything according to the song by John and Davey. A slightly exaggerated claim perhaps, but the two Fifers from Dunfermline and St Andrews respectively go a long way to prove it. Comedy songs, serious songs and recitations paint both a contemporary and past picture of this beautiful part of Scotland from two of the finest entertainers to come out of the ancient ‘Kingdom of Fife’. King James VI of Scotland described Fife as a ‘beggar’s mantle fringed with gold’ and this inspired the name of the band. The title song Shores of the Forth is one of the few songs on the album that was not written by John. Some of John's songs such as Kelty Clippie and Pittenweem Jo have become classics and have been recorded by several other singers since John and Davey first recorded them in 1976.

Shores Of The Forth : Fisher's Hornpipe

ANNABELLE ROSABELLE

A parody by John Watt on Donovan’s Jennifer Juniper. ‘Broo’ – Labour Exchange; ‘Packit lugs’ – Dirty Ears; ‘Windae hingin’ – Leaning out of a window; ‘Lannie’ – Lanliq, an intoxicating beverage: ‘Cludgie’ – Toilet or WC. From the album John Watt & Davey Stewart: <a href="http://www.springthyme.co.uk/1002/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Shores of the Forth</a>

1: Annabelle Rosabelle Jamieson McGee,
Sixteen stone o flesh and bone
And only twenty three.
Do I see her often? Yes I do sir!
Every Friday at ra broo sir!
All she gets she hands it o’er tae me,
Annabelle Rosabelle McGee.

2: Annabelle Rosabelle, hair like mouldy hay,
Feet like clugs and packit lugs
And in the family way.
Plastic earrings, windae hingin,
Prams o washin, steamin, mingin;
Tells me that our love is here to stay,
Annabelle Rosabelle McGee.

3: Our greyhound Bob sits in wur close and looks out for her,
He knows that Annabelle knows all the tricks,
Will gie him a fix;
And then some day he’ll be top dog and then –
Annabelle and Bob and me we’ll live just like the sheiks;
We’ll have vats o Lannie, a thoosand trannies,
And golden lamé breeks;
Diamonds aa aroond wur cludgie,
Electric blankets for wur budgie,
We’ll change oor motor car each seven weeks;
Annabelle, thank you, Rosabelle,
Annabelle, thank you, Rosabelle,
Annabelle Rosabelle McGee.

Annabelle Rosabelle

PITTENWEEM JO

A simple lyrical song written by John in 1960. Pittenweem, a picturesque East Neuk fishing village, has the main commercial fish auction of that part of Fife. From the album John Watt & Davey Stewart: <a href="http://www.springthyme.co.uk/1002/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Shores of the Forth</a>

1: I’m gaun wi a lass frae Pittenweem,
She’s every fisher laddie’s dream;
She guts the herrin doon by the quay,
And saves her kisses just for me.

2: Oh last July it came tae pass,
I met this bonnie fisher lass;
Wi her een sae blue and black her hair,
I met her doon at Ainster Fair.

Chorus:
Pittenweem, Pittenweem,
She’s every fisher laddie’s dream;
She guts the herrin doon by the quay,
And saves her kisses just for me.

3: I says tae her “Can I tak ye hame?”
She says “Oh fine I ken yer game;
But ne’er the less ye’re awfy kind,
In fact I widnae really mind.”

4: I took her hame that Saturday nicht,
The moon was shinin oh sae bricht; 
And as we lay there on the grass,
I says “Hey Jo, wad ye be ma lass?”

5: She’s my lass noo, and weel I ken,
She disnae gang wi ither men;
For I was quick where they were slow,
And that’s how I won ma Pittenweem Jo.

Chorus:
Pittenweem, Pittenweem,
She’s every fisher laddie’s dream;
She guts the herrin doon by the quay,
And saves her kisses just for me.

Pittenweem Jo

OH DEAR ME/ THE JUTE MILL SONG

Of all the poems and songs that are associated with Mary Brooksbank, the Jute Mill Song or Oh Dear Me is probably the best known. Based on a single traditional verse which she adapted as the chorus, she managed to capture a lot more about life than just the hardships of the jute mill lassies. As Jim says, 'two lines of Mary's song say more than many a politician can say in a lifetime - but I'll leave you to guess which two I mean!' Mary Brooksbank worked all her working life in the jute mills of Dundee and the song tells of the hard life. Mary was a member of the communist party and a social activist. She self-published a book of her poems and an autobiography.

Shiftins, piecing and spinning were three of the jobs on the flett - the floor on which the spinning machinery stood. The shifter was the person who removed full bobbins from the spinning frames and replaced them with empty ones. Ten and nine was the weekly wage of the mill lassies at the turn of the century - ten shillings (paid as a gold half sovereign) and nine pence.

1: Oh dear me the mills gaein fast,
And the pair wee shifters canna get nae rest;
Shiftin bobbins, coorse and fine, 
They fairly mak ye wark for your ten and nine.

2: Oh dear me I wish the day wis done,
Rinnin up an doun the pass is nae fun;
Shiftin, piecin, spinnin - warp, weft and twine,
Tae feed an claith ma bairnies affen ten and nine.

Chorus: 
Oh dear me the mills gaein fast,
And the pair wee shifters canna get nae rest;
Shiftin bobbins coorse and fine,
 They fairly mak ye wark for your ten and nine.

3: O dear me, the warld's ill divided,
Them that works the hardest are the least provided;
But I maun bide contented, dark days or fine,
There's no much pleisure livin affen ten and nine.

Chorus: 
Oh dear me the mills gaein fast,
And the pair wee shifters canna get nae rest;
Shiftin bobbins coorse and fine,
They fairly mak ye wark for your ten and nine.

From the album Jim Reid & John Huband: <a href="http://www.springthyme.co.uk/1030/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Freewheeling Now</a>.

Here's a link to a site about <a href="http://www.facebook.com/pages/Mary-Brooksbank/49120541063/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Mary Brooksbank</a> and another: <a href="http://www.dundeewomenstrail.org.uk/stories.php?id=18 " rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Dundee Womens Trail</a>.

The origins of the song are made clear in an interview held in the archives of the Scool of Scottish Studies. An Interview with Mary Brooksbank by Hamish Henderson - SA 1968.317. School of Scottish Studies, University of Edinburgh.

Mary Brooksbank: And then inside work (in the mills), they used to sing the Jute Mill song you know and when I grew up I put the verses to it. They used to go aroond (singing): 'the mill's gaen fest, the puir wee shifters canna get a rest .

Hamish Henderson: And how much of that was what they were singing in the mill and how much did you add to it?

Mary Brooksbank: Only the ditty, 'Oh dear me, the mill's gaen fest, the puir wee shifters…' . The verses are all mine. And that verse, 'to feed and cled my bairnie' was brought to me by a lassie who was worried. It wis hard lines if ye hid an illigitimate child and you had to pay for it aff that meagre wage, you know what I mean, and she used to say, oh I wish the day was done. And eh, tell me her troubles, her trachles, what she hid tae dae for her bairn and that, nae help that sort o' thing, and that brought that tae mind. And then I used to think on my own aboot how ill divided the world wis. My mother put me into service for a period; tried to make me genteel you know. She gave me a lovely outfit but it didna suit me, it was the worst thing she could have did because I saw right away the contrast between their homes and ours, you know, thons o the gentry and ours.

Oh Dear Me/ Jute Mill Song

THE HUT ON STAFFIN ISLAND/ THE LONE BUSH

A couple of fine hornpipes - the first a fairly recent composition by accordionist Phil Cunningham, and the second a powerful tune by the Irish/American fiddler Ed Reavy that John picked up a few years back. 

Billy Ross and John Martin are two of the finest musicians on the Scottish scene. As two founder members of OSSIAN they toured extensively at home and abroad and released several highly acclaimed albums. This album of songs and music is the first to bring them together as a duo. 

John Martin was also a member of the innovative Edinburgh based band Easy Club and he now tours regularly as a member of the Tannahill Weavers. 
Fiddles, cello, whistle, bodhran, viola & vocals

Billy Ross now lives in Skye, plays solo and with other members of OSSIAN and appears at concerts, festivals and on radio and TV.
Vocals, guitar & dulcimer

Produced by Peter Shepheard. Recorded at Pier House. Engineered by Peter Haigh.
Front sleeve photo by David Paterson: the snow covered peaks of Beinn Damh, Maol Cheonn-Dearg and Sgorr Ruadh south of Loch Torridon in Wester Ross.

Special thanks to Flora MacNeil for Braigh Loch Iall; to Davy Stuart for Bold Navvy Man; to Dr John MacInnes for help with the gaelic songs.

The Hut On Staffin Island: The Lone Bush

AVONDALE

This powerful symbolic song was written by the late Dominic Behan in praise of Parnell, the nineteenth century Irish nationalist politician, Protestant landowner and leader of the Irish Land League. Charles Stuart Parnell was born at Avondale House, County Wicklow in 1846. The lead set by Parnell and Michael Davitt in Ireland did much to stimulate the struggle for land reform in the Scottish Highlands. Billy learned the song many years ago from the fine Irish singer Al O'Donnell.

Billy: vocal, guitar; John: fiddle

1: Oh have you been to Avondale 
And wandered in her lovely vale, 
Where tall trees whisper low 
The tale of Avondale's proud eagle.

2: Where fame and ancient glory fade, 
Such was the land where he was laid, 
Like Christ was forty pieces paid, 
For Avondale's proud eagle.

3: Long years this green and lovely vale, 
Has nursed Parnell our grandest Gael, 
And cursed the land that has betrayed, 
Fair Avondale's proud eagle.

4: Oh have you been to Avondale, 
And wandered in her lovely vale, 
Where tall trees whisper low the tale, 
Of Avondale's proud eagle.

Billy Ross and John Martin are two of the finest musicians on the Scottish scene. As two founder members of OSSIAN they toured extensively at home and abroad and released several highly acclaimed albums. This album of songs and music is the first to bring them together as a duo. 

John Martin was also a member of the innovative Edinburgh based band Easy Club and he now tours regularly as a member of the Tannahill Weavers. 
Fiddles, cello, whistle, bodhran, viola & vocals

Billy Ross now lives in Skye, plays solo and with other members of OSSIAN and appears at concerts, festivals and on radio and TV.
Vocals, guitar & dulcimer

Produced by Peter Shepheard. Recorded at Pier House. Engineered by Peter Haigh.
Front sleeve photo by David Paterson: the snow covered peaks of Beinn Damh, Maol Cheonn-Dearg and Sgorr Ruadh south of Loch Torridon in Wester Ross.

Special thanks to Flora MacNeil for Braigh Loch Iall; to Davy Stuart for Bold Navvy Man; to Dr John MacInnes for help with the gaelic songs.

Avondale

ROLLING HOME

Jim Reid vocals, guitar & mouthorgan; Jim Brown, Harry Scott and Jim Thomson accordions; Geordie Anderson fiddle and vocals; Christine Stewart guitar and vocals and Sandy Beattie double bass  .

A Scottish version of a shanty song that is widely known across the seven seas. In America the sailors are sometimes rolling home to California or to Boston, and in Europe the song is sometimes related to Hamburg.

1: Call all hands to man the capstan,
See the cable running clear,
Heave around and with the wheel boys,
For our homeland we will steer.

Chorus:
Rolling home, rolling home,
Rolling home across the sea,
Rolling home to Caledonia,
Rolling home dear land to thee.

2: Fare ye well ye Spanish ladies,
We must bid you all adieu,
Happy times we've had together,
Happy times we spent with you.

3: Round the horn one frosty morning,
And our sails are filled with snow,
You could hear the shellbacks calling,
Heave around and let her go.

4: Now the wake we leave behind us,
Seems to know the way we go,
There's a hearty welcome waiting,
In the land that we all know.

Chorus:
Rolling home, rolling home,
Rolling home across the sea,
Rolling home to Caledonia,
Rolling home dear land to thee.

Words adapted and music arranged by Jim Reid
Springthyme Music © 1988.

This is the title track on their album The Foundry Bar Band: <a href="http://www.springthyme.co.uk/1026/" rel="nofollow" target="_parent">Rolling Home</a>.

Rolling Home

The Leda Trio: Airs For The Seasons
David Foulis - Sonata III in E Major

Foulis' Sonata III in E Major is in the shape of a Neapolitan Sinfonia with an opening Allegro, a central Largo in the tonic minor and final Allegro non troppo. The Allegro is cast in a miniature sonata form, with a bold first subject and brief development in the dominant. The Largo is a particularly good example of Foulis' natural melodic gifts. The use of expressive double stops adds intensity to the gently flowing pastoral character of the movement, which is a siciliano. The Allogro non troppo has much of the elegance of a minuet, and the sonata as a whole is bright and tuneful.

This is a track from the album The Leda Trio: Airs For The Seasons: Rare, interesting and beautiful music from 18th century Scotland - music that would have been an important part of social life in Edinburgh at that time. David Foulis (1710-1773), an Edinburgh physician who died in obscure poverty, composed six sonatas over a number of years, published in a very scarce edition. James Oswald (1710-1769), in contrast, became an established professional musician and composer to George III, ending his life a wealthy man with many published compositions to his credit.

The album includes three of the Foulis Sonatas - Sonata II in F major, Sonata III in E Major and Sonata V in A Major and a number of pieces from Oswald's Airs for the Seasons - The Lilac, The Nightshade, The Sneezewort and The Narcissus.

DAVID FOULIS (1710-1773) was born into a distinguished family. He became a physician, commencing his studies in 1729 in Edinburgh (where Armstrong was a fellow student) at what was the first Faculty of Medicine in the British Isles, and continuing at Leyden and Rheims. He returned to Edinburgh, passed his examinations to become a fellow of the Royal College of Physicians in 1737, and in 1741 was appointed Physician to George Heriot's Hospital, a charity school. He appears to have lost favour with his family after his marriage, ending his life in impecunious circumstances, depending upon the charity of his fellow professionals and failing to inherit anything of the family's substantial property.

Foulis' six sonatas seem to have been written over a long period and in a different order from that published. They appeared anonymously as Six Solos for the Violin 'Composed by a Gentleman', but more than one copy of the very scarce publication has a contemporary ascription of them to him. The date of publication is thought to be around 1770 and the sonatas are dedicated to Francis Charteris of Amisfield, probably an old family friend, and certainly a fellow member of the Edinburgh Musical Society from 1741 onwards. Although the cover of the publication describes the works as 'Solos', they are individually titled 'Sonata', the Italian rather than English term.
 
Foulis must have studied music to reach the proficiency that he did as a composer, though all that is known of his music is this publication and a Minuet and March. His writing for violin is excellent and we may guess that he understood and could play the instrument to a high standard. As a member of the Edinburgh Musical Society in the 1740s he was expected to be a performer, and he would have played alongside William McGibbon a fellow member who was probably the most accomplished British violinist of his day.

JAMES OSWALD (1710-1769) started his career as a dancing master in Dunfermline in the early 1730s. He was also a cellist, violinist, music teacher, publisher and composer, active in Edinburgh from 1736, and moving to London in 1741 where he rose to the height of his profession, becoming Chamber Composer to King George III in 1761, and ending his life a wealthy man in his own right as well as spending his last days in the splendid Knebworth House which his second wife had inherited. An early notebook from 1734 shows that he studied and imitated the Italian style of composition, as well as cultivating his own native music.
 
His works included two satirical Cantatas, Masonic vocal trios published in Edinburgh in 1740, pieces for guitar solo and duet. Besides these, there are Six Pastoral Solos, Twelve Serenatas, Fifty-five Marches, a Sonata on Scots Tunes, and The Caledonian Pocket Companion - a fifteen volume collection of Scots songs and tunes made by Oswald, some of them traditional and others composed by himself and his Airs for the Seasons in two volumes.
 
Oswald's Airs for the Seasons commenced publication in 1755 in parts as Airs for the Spring - and so on for Summer, Autumn and Winter, and they were so successful that he put together a second set intended to follow on from the first, as the page numbers indicate. As each season has twelve 'Airs', bearing the title of a flower, shrub, or tree, this makes the remarkable total of twice forty-eight pieces, representing ninety-six different plants. However, the second set survives in only a single copy (in the Wighton Collection in Dundee City Library).

David Foulis: Sonata III in E major

The Leda Trio: Airs for the Seasons
James Oswald - The Narcissus

There are just two movements for the brief dancing life of James Oswald's The Narcissus. The first one, is in the style of a Scottish air, but with reflections and echoes added because Narcissus fell in love with his own reflection and was beloved of Echo. This is a perfect example of the native and the classical in each other's arms. The second movement reflects the fact that the Narcissus was a dancer's plant. The medicine from it was good for strained sinews and stiff joints; and the Narcissus bending in the breeze leads the first dance of spring-and is his dance, the second movement, is a Scottish jig full of the cheerfulness of the season. It comes from the first set for Spring.

This is a track from the album The Leda Trio: Airs For The Seasons: Rare, interesting and beautiful music from 18th century Scotland - music that would have been an important part of social life in Edinburgh at that time. David Foulis (1710-1773), an Edinburgh physician who died in obscure poverty, composed six sonatas over a number of years, published in a very scarce edition. James Oswald (1710-1769), in contrast, became an established professional musician and composer to George III, ending his life a wealthy man with many published compositions to his credit.

The album includes three of the Foulis Sonatas - Sonata II in F major, Sonata III in E Major and Sonata V in A Major and a number of pieces from Oswald's Airs for the Seasons - The Lilac, The Nightshade, The Sneezewort and The Narcissus.

DAVID FOULIS (1710-1773) was born into a distinguished family. He became a physician, commencing his studies in 1729 in Edinburgh (where Armstrong was a fellow student) at what was the first Faculty of Medicine in the British Isles, and continuing at Leyden and Rheims. He returned to Edinburgh, passed his examinations to become a fellow of the Royal College of Physicians in 1737, and in 1741 was appointed Physician to George Heriot's Hospital, a charity school. He appears to have lost favour with his family after his marriage, ending his life in impecunious circumstances, depending upon the charity of his fellow professionals and failing to inherit anything of the family's substantial property.

Foulis' six sonatas seem to have been written over a long period and in a different order from that published. They appeared anonymously as Six Solos for the Violin 'Composed by a Gentleman', but more than one copy of the very scarce publication has a contemporary ascription of them to him. The date of publication is thought to be around 1770 and the sonatas are dedicated to Francis Charteris of Amisfield, probably an old family friend, and certainly a fellow member of the Edinburgh Musical Society from 1741 onwards. Although the cover of the publication describes the works as 'Solos', they are individually titled 'Sonata', the Italian rather than English term.
 
Foulis must have studied music to reach the proficiency that he did as a composer, though all that is known of his music is this publication and a Minuet and March. His writing for violin is excellent and we may guess that he understood and could play the instrument to a high standard. As a member of the Edinburgh Musical Society in the 1740s he was expected to be a performer, and he would have played alongside William McGibbon a fellow member who was probably the most accomplished British violinist of his day.

JAMES OSWALD (1710-1769) started his career as a dancing master in Dunfermline in the early 1730s. He was also a cellist, violinist, music teacher, publisher and composer, active in Edinburgh from 1736, and moving to London in 1741 where he rose to the height of his profession, becoming Chamber Composer to King George III in 1761, and ending his life a wealthy man in his own right as well as spending his last days in the splendid Knebworth House which his second wife had inherited. An early notebook from 1734 shows that he studied and imitated the Italian style of composition, as well as cultivating his own native music.
 
His works included two satirical Cantatas, Masonic vocal trios published in Edinburgh in 1740, pieces for guitar solo and duet. Besides these, there are Six Pastoral Solos, Twelve Serenatas, Fifty-five Marches, a Sonata on Scots Tunes, and The Caledonian Pocket Companion - a fifteen volume collection of Scots songs and tunes made by Oswald, some of them traditional and others composed by himself and his Airs for the Seasons in two volumes.
 
Oswald's Airs for the Seasons commenced publication in 1755 in parts as Airs for the Spring - and so on for Summer, Autumn and Winter, and they were so successful that he put together a second set intended to follow on from the first, as the page numbers indicate. As each season has twelve 'Airs', bearing the title of a flower, shrub, or tree, this makes the remarkable total of twice forty-eight pieces, representing ninety-six different plants. However, the second set survives in only a single copy (in the Wighton Collection in Dundee City Library).

James Oswald: The Narcissus

The Michael Philip Ceilidh Band
Canadian Barn Dance: Captain Carswell/ The Conundrum

Live recordings from the famous Riverside Club in Glasgow – centre of the 90’s ceilidh dance revival. The Michael Philip Ceilidh Band are: Michael Philip from Cardenden on accordion, Robert Ross from Kincardine on accordion, Suzanne Gray from Alloa on string bass, Paul Clancy from Dundee on keyboards and Gordon Robertson from Larbert on drums.

This is a track from the album Michael Philip Ceilidh Band: <a href="http://www.springthyme.co.uk/1035/" target="_self">At the Riverside</a>.

Canadian Barn Dance: Captain Carswell/ The Conundrum

Katherine Campbell: Scots Songs and Ballads from Perthshire Tradition

JOHNNIE ARMSTRONG
Kath Campbell (vocal) with Tony McManus (guitar)

Katherine Campbell sings ballads and songs from the unique family repertoire of sisters Amelia and Jane Harris who inherited a wealth of ballads and songs from a Perthshire family tradition dating back to the mid 1700s.

The collection includes well known ballads such as Mary Hamilton (Child 173), Captain Wedderburn (Child 46) and The Cruel Brother (Child 11) but many of the Harris ballads are rare and, in the case of several, this may well be their first recording.

The Armstrongs were a notable family in Liddesdale in the Scottish borders from the 14th century onwards. By the early 1500s they had become a powerful independent force. In the summer of 1530 King James the Fifth mounted an expedition to pacify his border country. It is probable that John Armstrong and his men were tricked into meeting the king with a promise of pardon, but instead, John and his band (who included other famous border names such as Scott and Elliot as well as Armstrong) were taken and hung, probably at Carlenrig north of Canonbie.

The ballad (Child 169) tells how the king writes a letter to John inviting him to pay him a visit in Edinburgh. Johnnie and his eight score of men dress in their finest and ride north to Edinburgh.

He dressed his merry men all in green,
And he himself in the scarlet red;
And every man had a milkwhite steed,
And hats and feathers all alike.

When John comes before the king he asks for pardon but is told that ‘tomorrow before I taste meat or drink, high hanged shall your eight score o men and you be.’ They fight courageously till they left not a man in the king’s lifeguard, never a man but barely three. Then a cowardly man cam John behind, and run him through his fair body, whereupon Johnnie calls on his men to ‘fight on, fight on my merry men, I am a little hurt but I am not slain, so here I’ll lie and bleed a while, and rise and fight with you again.’ 

However, Johnnie and his men are defeated, a gallows is set up on the plain ‘and there they hanged Johnnie Armstrong and fifty of his warlike men.’ Back home, Johnnie’s lady is looking over her castle wall and sees a bonnie little boy, coming riding speedily and the boy gives the news that ‘Johnnie Armstrong you’ll never see.’ The last verse seems muddled, as it should not be the pretty little boy and his son who would ‘be the heir to a’ my lands’ but Johnnie’s own son, who lived to be known as Johnnie’s Christy. Child B finishes with:

 O then bespoke his little son,
 As he was set on his nurses knee:
 ‘If ever I live to be a man,
 My fathers blood revenged shall be.’

This rather excellent Harris version of the ballad is now published for the first time in Emily Lyle’s Harris Repertoire. Although Child had access to the Harris text he seems to have mislaid the source of his copy and assumes (wrongly) that ‘it is probably a transcript from recent print’ (Child III, p 363). He adds that ‘both forms of the ballad (his A, B as opposed to C) had been too long printed to allow validity to any known recited copy.’ He then prints two verses from this copy and notes that ‘it diverges from the ordinary text more than any I have seen.’ Bronson includes the Harris tune (169.7) with just a single stanza.

This is a track from the album atherine Campbell: <a href="http://www.springthyme.co.uk/1041/" target="_self">Scots Songs and Ballads from Perthshire Tradition</a>.

Johnnie Armstrong

RIGS O RYE

Jane Turriff is one of Scotland's legendary traditional singers first recorded by Hamish Henderson in 1955 for the School of Scottish Studies. The album Jane Turriff: Singin Is Ma Life has been compiled from many private recordings made over several decades at festivals, folk clubs and in Jane's own house in Mintlaw. Jane gained a reputation on the folk scene for her passionate ballad style, coupled with a powerful and beautifully controlled voice.

Jane's repertoire on this album includes classic traditional ballads such as Barbara Allen and the border ballad Dowie Dens o Yarrow as well as many folk songs from the Northeast tradition such as My Wee Doggie (with accordion) and A Sailor Lad and a Tailor Lad and Bonnie Udny (both with harmonium) and the beautiful Rigs of Rye, but her repertoire crosses over to include Jimmy Rodgers country and western, complete with yodelling.

Jane's singing of The Rigs o Rye was recorded (by Allan Palmer) during the TMSA's Kinross Festival in 1979 at a concert in the Church Hall. Thirty-five versions of Hamish Henderson's favourite Jane Turriff song appear in the Greig-Duncan collection, including this fine verse: 'This couple they are married noo, And they have bairnies one or two, And live in Brittany the winter through, And in Montrose in summer' - a verse not included in Jane's version. (GD 1054, Ord 31)

Jane: Oh it's a great song, it's a great song. It's ma grandma's song I learned aff o ma Ma. 

1: It wis in between twa rigs o rye,
When I heard two lovers talkin;
"I hear my love you are going away,
An no longer here you mean to stay."
 
2: "I will give to you, five hundered pounds
If you'll marry me a poor stranger;
Let mammy weep, let daddy frown,
Let sister's words fall to the ground;
But I will lay down five hundered pounds,
If you'll marry me a poor stranger."
 
3: For it wis in between twa rigs o rye
When I heard two lovers talkin;
"I hear my love you are going away,
No longer here you mean to stay;
But I will lay down five hundred pounds
If you'll marry me a poor stranger."
 
4: The tears came fallin from her eye,
Like a heavy shower in summer bloom;
But he held his hankie rollin fine
And he kissed her cheeks and dimples fine.
 
5: I hear my love you are going away,
No longer here you mean to stay,
But I will lay down five hundered pounds,
If you'll marry me, a poor stranger."


This is a track from the album Jane Turriff: <a href="http://www.springthyme.co.uk/1038/" target="_self">Singin Is Ma Life</a>.

Jane Turriff: Rigs O Rye

HEAVEN'S GATE/ LE GRANDE CHAINE/ WAITING FOR THE FEDERALS

Aly Bain's brilliant fiddle playing has won him wide acclaim and brought new audiences to traditional music. Here he leads a tour of Scotland with Scotland's Young Champions. Aly Bain and Russell Kostulin on fiddle with Violet Tulloch on piano play a Cajun Waltz/ Canadian Reel & American Reel - recorded in Coran Hall, Oban.

The album was recorded live during a week long tour by Aly with some of the finest of Scotland's younger generation of musicians and singers, travelling from Arbroath to Glasgow, Strathdon to Thurso and down the west coast to Ballachulish and Oban -- to packed houses all the way. Some of the best times were those spent by the Young Champions playing tunes together and with Aly on the coach on the long road north. A new tune was even composed for Hamish the driver!

Tracks include an opening set composed by Aly Bain's fellow Shetlander Ronnie Cooper - Dr. Donaldson and The Anvil; several Scottish folk songs The Pear Tree and A Wee Burr Stuck tae Ma Apron; a Gaelic song An Ataireachd Ard from Vicki Ferguson with clarsach accompaniment. Instrumental sets include Scott Williams on tin whistle, Russell Kostulin on fiddle, Bruce Lidsay on accordion, a set of tunes from Martyn Bennett on cauldwind pipes and finishing with Margaret's Waltz made famous by Aly in earlier recordings.

This is a track from the album: <a href="http://www.springthyme.co.uk/1032/" target="_self">Aly Bain & Young Champions</a>.

Aly Bain: Heaven's Gate/ Le Grande Chaine/ Waiting For The Federals

MARGARET'S WALTZ/ LAIRD O DRUMBLAIR/ DEIL AMONG THE TAILORS

Aly Bain's brilliant fiddle playing has won him wide acclaim and brought new audiences to traditional music. Here he leads a tour of Scotland with Scotland's Young Champions. Aly Bain on fiddle with the Young Champions and Violet Tulloch on piano play a finale set: Margaret's Waltz/ Laird O Drumblair/ Deil Among The Tailors - recorded in Ballachulish Community Hall.

The album was recorded live during a week long tour by Aly with some of the finest of Scotland's younger generation of musicians and singers, travelling from Arbroath to Glasgow, Strathdon to Thurso and down the west coast to Ballachulish and Oban -- to packed houses all the way. Some of the best times were those spent by the Young Champions playing tunes together and with Aly on the coach on the long road north. A new tune was even composed for Hamish the driver!

Tracks include an opening set composed by Aly Bain's fellow Shetlander Ronnie Cooper - Dr. Donaldson and The Anvil; several Scottish folk songs The Pear Tree and A Wee Burr Stuck tae Ma Apron; a Gaelic song An Ataireachd Ard from Vicki Ferguson with clarsach accompaniment. Instrumental sets include Scott Williams on tin whistle, Russell Kostulin on fiddle, Bruce Lidsay on accordion, a set of tunes from Martyn Bennett on cauldwind pipes and finishing with Margaret's Waltz made famous by Aly in earlier recordings.

This is a track from the album: <a href="http://www.springthyme.co.uk/1032/" target="_parent">Aly Bain & Young Champions</a>.

Aly Bain: Margaret's Waltz/ Laird O Drumblair/ Deil Among The Tailors

RHYNIE

On Springthyme SPRCD 1039
Jock Duncan - Ye Shine Whar Ye Stan!

Jock Duncan learned this Aberdeenshire masterpiece from the singing of the great John Strachan (farmer at the farm of Crichie the other side of Fyvie from Jock's parents family farm) - who sang it accompanying himself on concertina. The song was included in Norman Buchan's influential 101 Scottish Songs published in 1962 and is in the Greig-Duncan Folk-Song Collection (GD 343) under the title Jock o Rhynie. An old man, William Forsyth, told Greig thet he 'remembered as a boy his mother sing Jock o Rhynie and this would take the song back to say 1830.' The farmer at Mains o Rhynie (in the high glens of Auchindoir in Strathbogie about 8 miles south of Huntly) from 1830 until his death in 1851 was John Gordon and he was known as 'Jock o Rhynie' but there may have been earlier Jocks at Rhynie and the song could well be earlier. He is said to have denied his work was 'ill to work' although he admitted that Rhynie's work was 'very hard.'

1: At Rhynie I sheared my first hairst,
Doun by the fit o Benachie,
Ma maister there was ill tae fit, [hard to please
But laith wis I tae loss my fee.
 Linten ourin ourin addie,
 Linten ourin ourin ee.

2: Rhynie's wark is ill tae work,
An Rhynie's wauges is bit sma,
Rhynie's laws are double strick, [i.e. very strict
And that's fit grieves me warst of aa.
 Linten ourin ourin addie,
 Linten ourin ourin ee.

3: Rhynie is a cauld clay hole,
It's nane een like ma father's toun,
Rhynie is a hungry place,
And it disnae suit a Lawland loon.
 Linten ourin ourin addie,
 Linten ourin ourin ee.

4: Sair I've focht and sair I've vrocht, [i.e. worked
Until I won my penny fee,
And I'll ging back tae the gate I cam, [i.e. the way I came
And a better bairnie I will be.
 Linten ourin ourin addie,
 Linten ourin ourin ee.

Jock: John Strachan was never bettered at this song about the hand shearin days before the reaper made short work of it. This young man's first shearin wis an unhappy experience, wages were sma and it wis a hungry place and the farmer's laws were double strict. Folk think o Rhynie as being 'My God, thats a wild place, there canna be much growin up there.' It's hilly and there's a lot a sheepie grun, but it's (also) some o the finest corn growin country that ever wis.

Jock never worked on Rhynie, but not long ago he and his wife Frances climbed the nearby hill Tap o Noth to look down over the lands of Rhynie.

Jock: Whit drew me to Tap o Noth wis the fine walk through the whin and up through the breem. You're gaun back 4, 5000 year because ye'd the vitrified fort on the top. And here's me standin on the top o the vitrified fort singin Rhynie, lookin doun, a beautiful sunny day, on the hairst parks o Rhynie away in the distance. And I wis thinkin o Jock –

This song is from the Springthyme CD Jock Duncan: <a href="http://www.springthyme.co.uk/1039/" target="_self">Ye Shine Whar Ye Stan!</a>.

Jock Duncan: Rhynie

JOHNNIE GALLACHER

On Springthyme SPRCD 1043
Shepheard, Spiers & Watson: Over the High Hills

Tom Spiers: This song was collected from Jessie MacDonald of Macduff in 1966 by Peter Hall. Jessie was a traveller, born in the mid 1870s and learned most of her songs before 1900. Her version didn’t have the chorus – that’s an addition we made recently - it just happened when we were singing it at a practice - yes, we do sometimes practice! The song was obtained by Gavin Greig in 1908 from Sam Davidson, a farm servant, who had the text in his manuscript book of songs - with the location as Urie rather than Ugie. Versions have also been collected in England, Ireland and in Newfoundland with variation in names and places. (Greig Duncan 1:80, Roud 920)

Tom Spiers (lead vocal and fiddle) with Pete Shepheard (melodeon and vocal) and Arthur Watson (whistle and vocal)

This is an Aberdeenshire version of the song and it contains a number of words in the north-east dialect of Scots, often referred to in the north-east as "the Doric". Click to access the <a href="http://www.springthyme.co.uk/scotslanguage/" target="_self">Scots Language Dictionary</a>.

1: As I was a-walkin by Ugie one day,
I met Sergeant Kelly by chance on my way;
Says he, "Johnnie Gallacher, you’re a handsome young man,
Wid ye come doon tae Ugie wi me for a dram?
Wi me for a dram, wi me for a dram,
Wid ye come doon tae Ugie wi me for a dram?"

2: We sat in the ale hoose jist takin oor dram,
Fan he says, "Johnnie Gallacher, wid ye prove ye’re a man?
Wid ye list and tak the bounty and come awa wi me,
Far ower the ocean strange places tae see?
Strange places tae see, strange places tae see,
Far ower the ocean strange places tae see?"

3: He pit his hand in his pocket and the shillin he drew,
"Tak this my brave laddie and ye will never rue."
'Tis then I was listed and the bargain it was made,
The ribbons they were brocht and pit on my cockade.
Pit on my cockade, pit on my cockade,
The ribbons they were brocht and pit on my cockade.

4: Well a curse on that sergeant and his lyin tongue,
A curse on the day that I follaed the drum;
One nicht in the guard room and the next in the jile,
Wi nae topcoat nor blanket tae wrap mysel in.
Tae wrap mysel in, tae wrap mysel in,
Nae topcoat nor blanket tae wrap mysel in.

5: Bad luck tae my uncle farivver he be,
For he was the first man that his ruined me;
Gin he had been an honest man and learnt me a trade,
Then I never wid hae listed nor wore the cockade.
Nor wore the cockade, nor wore the cockade,
No I never wid hae listed nor wore the cockade.

This song is from the Springthyme CD Shepheard, Spiers & Watson: <a href="http://www.springthyme.co.uk/1043/" target="_self">Over the High Hills</a>.

Tom Spiers: Johnnie Gallacher

A set of cheery Scottish jigs from Sprangeen. 

With their unique and imaginative combination of fiddles, metal and gut strung Celtic harps, concertinas, flute, whistle and double bass, SPRANGEEN brought a new dimension to the spectrum of Scottish music when they issued this their first and only album as an LP in 1984. The band (of seven women) derived their style and repertoire from a wide range of traditional roots, from Gaelic waulking songs to Border fiddle tunes, and from Highland pipe music to traditional Scottish songs. All have gone on to contribute to the richness of the current Scottish music revival, Patsy Seddon and Mary MacMaster were both founder members of The Poozies and they play together as a duet in Sileas.

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SPRANGEEN: Sally Hunter/ Off She Goes/ Lads Of Dunse

With their unique and imaginative combination of fiddles, metal and gut strung Celtic harps, concertinas, flute, whistle and double bass, SPRANGEEN brought a new dimension to the spectrum of Scottish music when they issued this their first and only album as an LP in 1984. The band (of seven women) derived their style and repertoire from a wide range of traditional roots, from Gaelic waulking songs to Border fiddle tunes, and from Highland pipe music to traditional Scottish songs. All have gone on to contribute to the richness of the current Scottish music revival, Patsy Seddon and Mary MacMaster were both founder members of The Poozies and they play together as a duet in Sileas.

A Gaelic women’s work-song (port à beul) sung while shrinking the cloth, in praise of Alasdair MacColla who was in charge of the Highlanders fighting with Montrose in the 1640s.

1: Alasdair a Mhic, ò hò, 
Cholla ghasda, ò hò, 
às do làimh-’s gun, ò hò, 
earbainn tapaichd trom èile.

[Oh Alasdair son of excellent Colla,
From your hand I would expect bravery.]

Séisd/ Chorus:
Chall èil ò hì, chall a horò,
Chall èil ò hì, chall a horò,
Chall oro hao ri ri, chall a horò,
Hao i oho trom èile.

2: Mharbhadh Tighearn, ò hò, 
Ach nam Breac leat, ò hò,
thìodhlaic thu e, ò hò,
’n òir a lochain, ò hò, 
’s ged’s beag mi fhin, ò hò, 
Chuir mi ploc air.

[You killed the Laird of Auchinbreck,
You buried him at the edge of the lochan,
And although I was small I threw a sod on him.]

3: Chuala mi’n dé, ò hò, 
Sgeul nach b’ait leam, ò hò, 
Glaschù bheag, ò hò, 
Dol na lasair, ò hò, 
’s Obair-Dheathain, ò hò, 
deis a ghlacadh.

[Yesterday I heard news that didn’t please me,
Little Glasgow was burned and Aberdeen was taken.]

SPRANGEEN: Alasdair MacColla (Waulking Song)

Sung by Jim Reid on his album I Saw the Wild Geese Flee. Jim Reid's 'Wild Geese' album, first issued in 1984, immediately established him as one of Scotland's finest singers. The song has since been recorded by numerous other singers.

This poem, set to music by Jim, comes from the pen of the late Helen Cruickshank who published the piece under the title Shy Geordie. The Noran Water flows into the South Esk near Brechin. 

Words arranged and music by Jim Reid/Springthyme Music © 1984


1: Up the Noran Water
In by Inglismaddy,
Annie's got a bairnie
That hasna got a daddy.
Some think it's Tammas's
An some think it's Chay's;
An naebody expectit it,
Wi Annie's quiet ways.

2: Up the Noran Water
The bonnie little mannie
Is dandlit and cuddled close
By Inglismaddy's Annie.
Wha the bairnie's faither is
The lassie never says;
But some think it's Tammas's,
And ithers think it's Chay's.

3: Up the Noran Water
The country folk are kind:
And wha the bairnie's faither is
They dinna muckle mind.
But oh! the bairn at Annie's breist,
The love in Annie's ee
Wad mak me wish wi aa ma micht
That the lucky lad wis me!

4: And oh! the bairn at Annie's breist,
The love in Annie's ee
Wad mak me wish wi aa ma micht
That the lucky lad wis me!


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Jim Reid: Up The Noran Water

Sung by Danny Brazil of Gloucester in The Pelican, 5 January 1966.

1: All for bold keeper in the chase of his deer, 
For the likes of bold keeper you seldom shall hear;  
He courted a nobleman’s daughter so fair,
And you seldom shall hear of such doings. 

2: “Now then, bold keeper, don’t you fancy me? 
I’m a match for some Lord that’s higher than thee;
For your wealth and my wealth it never could agree,
So take that as an answer bold keeper.”

3: “That answer, fair lady, I never could take, 
For the likes of that answer calls my heart to ache;
My life I would rather lay down to a stake, 
Before I’d lose the goodwill of that lady.”

[ 4: “Your life you would rather lay down to a stake, 
My parents would say there’s no in to a clown.” 
“A clown, dearest Polly, I’ll frown and I’ll swear, 
That my father’s a nobleman, gentleman born.”
“If thou art willing, to the church we will ride,
And there we’ll get married brave lady.” ]

5: As they was riding through meadows so wide,
With their large swords and buckles hung down by their side;
There she met her father with twenty bright men,
And their large glittering swords drawed ready.

6: “Now then bold keeper, don’t you stand to prattle, 
I can see by the way that thee means for a battle.”
They cut and they slay on the ground that they stood on, And the lady held the horse while bold keeper fowght on.

7: “Now then bold keeper, I pray hold your hand,
You shall have my daughter ten thousand in hand.”
“Oh no, dearest father, that is too small a sum.”
“It’s hold your tongue daughter, this will shall be done;
You shall have your husband, we both shall be as one, And we’ll die by the hands of bold keeper.”

Bold Keeper and the Lady (DB)

Sung by Maudie Brazil of Wisbech, October 2018.
Video on YouTube at https://youtu.be/XIq_pD3kCC4

1: It’s all for bold keeper in the chase of his deer,
The likes of bold keeper you seldom shall hear; 
He’s courting a nobleman’s daughter so fair,
And it’s seldom you’ll hear of such doings. 

2: Now as they were walking through meadows so wide,
With his broadsword and buckle hung down by his side;
It was there she saw her father and twenty bright men,
With their large glittering swords drawed ready.

3: She said, ‘Now then bold keeper, come pray hold your hand,
By the look of my father he means for a battle;
They cut and they slayed to  the ground that they stood on,
And the lady held the horse for bold keeper.

4: It’s now then bold keeper, come pray hold your hand
You will have my daughter ten thousand in land,
‘Oh no, dearest father, it’s too small a sum.’
He said, ‘Hold your tongue daughter, my will will be done.

Singing stopped - clearly error here and no mor remembered on this occasion. MB: I think I missed a bit out.

You shall have your husband and both shall be as one
And I\ll die by the hands of bold keeper. 

Video on YouTube at https://youtu.be/XIq_pD3kCC4

Bold Keeper and the Lady (MB)6602

1: There wis Johnny MacAtee, McGhee an’ me 
And other two or three were on the spree one day 
We had a bob or two which we knew how to blew 
An’ the beer an’ whisky flew and we all feeled gay.

2: We visited McCann’s, Humphy Dan’s, Michael Mann’s 
An’ then went doon tae Swan’s wir stomachs for tae pack 
We ordered quite a feed which indeed we did need 
And we swallowed it with speed yet we all feeled slack.

3: He swallowed tripe an’ lard by the yard, we wis scarred 
And we thought it would go hard when he brought in the bill 
The shopman looked dismayed as he laid 
Down another feed an’ said: “You’re a greedy glutton, too!” 

4: ‘Twas the scrapings o’ the pot all he got which he brought 
An’ he swallowed it red hot did the bold McIndoe 
The shopman brought his charge, Mclndoe was so large, 
That he began to barge an’ his blood caught fire.
 
5: Mac began tae swear, tear his hair in despair 
And tae finish the affair he called the shopman a liar 
The shopman he drew out, no doubt he could clout, 
He knocked McIndoe about like an old football.

6: Mac began tae howl: “By ma sowl, that’s a foul,”
An’ he chucked an empty bowl at the shopman’s head 
Struck poor Micky Flynn, knocked the skin, right off his chin, 
And the ruction did begin and we all fought an’ bled. 

7`: Tattered all his clothes, broke his nose, I suppose, 
Nearly killed him with his blows in no time at all 
The bobbies did arrive, man alive, four or five, 
At us they made a dive and they marched us away. 

8: Paid for all the meat which we eat, stood a treat, 
Went home to ruminate on that spree that day. 

As Jimmy's friend Peter Hall wrote: Greed, being one of the seven deadly sins, it is an ideal subject for satire as Jimmy shows by the relish with which he attacks this Liverpool-Irish piece, learned from a Scouser passing through Elgin. The form of the song helps to reinforce the sly humour of its subject matter, the internal rhyming commonly borrowed by Irish song makers of last century from Gaelic verse, being particularly effectively employed.

The folk revival of the 1960s could never have taken place without the great traditional singers of the day - and for North-east songs and bothy ballads there was none more significant than Jimmy MacBeath.

Jimmy MacBeath - LIve from St Andrews Folk Club

Jimmy McBeath - Johnny McIndoo

1: There wis Hielan men an weemin
They got up a fancy ball
It wis held ae Sunday mornin
In the cattle market hall
I’m alludin you informin you
It wis a grand affair
For the Duke fae Killiecrankie
An masel an I were there.

2: Some arrived in motor cars
Some in big balloons
Some o them got nearly drunk
An whistlin pairty tunes
There wis some o them dressed in corduroys
An some in kilts sae braw
The jokers jined the mobbers
That wore no kilts at aa.

3: There wis Roderickie McGilpin
Young Peterie McIndoo
Big tartan-whiskered Donal
Frae the hills oTamford, too
There wis eerie-arry Muchty
Aye, an Milly frae Mulgey
An as soon as he cam in the hall
He shouted "Aye, hooch-aye”.

4: There wis Willie Dooly Hooly
Wi his creishie nose sae blue
An Angus Cockaleerie
Aye, an Hielan Rory too
There wis Jeemsie Hankie-Pankie
Wi a concertina hat
An Inverary Mary
Wi side-whiskers like a cat.

5: There wis Nanny an her granny
The tyler and his chum
An a great big hungry bobby
Wi a corporation like a drum
There wis Susie Nell an greasy Bell
An Turnich-Turnich Peg
An bowsy, greetin Geordie
Wi a bandy wooden leg.

6: There wis Yards-o-Hokey-Pokey
Wi a bandage roon his heid
An Ruglen Wullie couldna come
Because 'at he wis deid
There wis ma bonnie, black-eyed Susan
An her married sister Jean
An funny Peter Mary
Fae the Shiprow o Aiberdeen.

7:There wis a party frae the East
An a party frae Montrose
An a great big Hielan piper
Wi some heather on his nose
There wis Lachie Auchtermuchty
An Lachie frae Mulgair
An a thoosan mair o noblemen
Includin Burke an Hare.

8: For the way I hooch't an danc't that nicht
Wis jist aboot ma death
For I think I’ll better stop it, friends
I'm nearly oot o breath
They were aa Scotchmen, Scotchmen every one
There wis Chinamen fae Aiberdeen
Aye, but loads o them by John o Groats 
O, O, it's believe me if ye can
There wis Jock McPhee
Wi the North Pole in his hand
Scotchmen every one.

Jimmy MacBeath - Live from St Andrews Folk Club

Jimmy McBeath - Hielanman's Fancy Ball

1: I’m gaun wi a lass fae Pittenweem,
She’s every fisher laddie’s dream,
She guts the herrin doun on the quay,
And saves her kisses just for me.

2: It was in July this came to pass,
When I met this bonnie fisher lass,
Wi her een sae blue an black her hair,
I met her doun at Anster Fair.

Pittenweem, Pittenweem,
She’s every fisher laddie’s dream,
She guts the herrin doun on the quay,
And saves her kisses just for me.

3: I spiered at her could I tak her hame,
She says, “O fine I ken your game;
But never-the less ye’re awfa kind,
In fact, I widna realy mind.”

Pittenweem, Pittenweem,
She’s every fisher laddie’s dream,
She guts the herrin doun on the quay,
And saves her kisses just for me.

4: I took her hame on Saturday nicht,
The Moon wis shinin, O sae bricht,
And as we lay there on the grass,
I said, “O Jo, was ye be my lass?”

Pittenweem, Pittenweem,
She’s every fisher laddie’s dream,
She guts the herrin doun on the quay,
And saves her kisses just for me.

5: She’s ma lass noo, o that I ken,
She disna look at ither men,
For I was quick and they were slow,
That’s how I won my Pittenweem Jo.

Pittenweem, Pittenweem,
She’s every fisher laddie’s dream,
She guts the herrin doun on the quay,
And saves her kisses just for me.

When John Watt first heard Jimmy sing Pittenweem Jo - he asked Jimmy where he had learned it. Apparently Jimmy said he had heard it many years before. But it was John who had written the song only a few years earlier - in 1960 - and the song was first published in Collins 101 Scottish Songs in 1962. Certainly John Watt and his group the Tregullion from Dunfermline had already made the song well known in the early 60s and perhaps Jimmy heard it from John when they were both guests at the Edinburgh Folk Club Festival in Edinburgh in 1963. But here we are in April 1964 with Jimmy singing to an audience in St Andrews who clearly knew the sing well.

Jimmy McBeath - Live from St Andrews Folk Club

Jimmy McBeath - Pittenweem Jo

Springthyme is a record label dedicated to presenting Scotland's living tradition in song and music. Founded in 1974 by musician and singer Pete Shepheard, the label has introduced many fine singers, musicians to the world of recorded music. The very first album was recorded during the weekend traditional music festival held in Kinross in 1973 with musicians including Aly Bain and Tom Anderson and the Shetland Fiddlers and the first recording of ballad singer Stanley Robertson of Aberdeen. Other artistes on Springthyme include Jim Reid, The Foundry Bar Band, Ossian, Jock Duncan, Bill Black, Duncan Williamson, Lizzie Higgins, Jim Crawford, Tom Hughes, John Watt & Davey Stewart, Iain McLachlan and many more including a CD from Pete's own band Shepheard, Spiers & Watson. Springthyme has also issued recordings from their field recordings archive in cooperation with the Musical Traditions label.

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