A set of Springthyme tracks from SoundCloud.

Springthyme Selection

1: SHORES OF THE FORTH / FISHER'S HORNPIPE
Sung by Davey Stewart with the Beggars Mantle Ceilidh Band, the title song off the album, Shores of the Forth, was composed by Matt Armour from Anstruther in Fife. The song is followed by a widely known traditional tune Fisher's Hornpipe. Some of John's songs such as The Kelty Clippie and Pittenweem Jo have become folk classics. King James VI of Scotland described Fife as a ‘beggar’s mantle fringed with gold’ and this inspired the name of the band - the Beggar's Mantle Ceildh Band - Jock Ritchie on fiddle, Jock Mullen on accordion, Robin McKidd on guitar and bass and Brian Miller on guitar and mandolin.

2: LOCHABER GATHERING / TAM BAIN'S LUM
From the Beggar's Mantle Ceildh Band the tune, Lochaber Gathering, is a four part march by George Stewart MacLennan. The second tune, Tam Bain's Lum, is a four part pipe hornpipe by Donald Shaw Ramsay.

3: THE KELTY CLIPPIE
Written by John Watt, the song became a hit as soon as it was recorded - released first on a vinyl LP in 1976. The song celebrates the passing of way of life - the bus conductress known in Fife as the clippie.

John Watt & Davey Stewart: Shores of the Forth

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

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

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		LOCHABER GATHERING/ TAM BAIN'S LUM
		This track: Lochaber Gathering/ Tam Bain's Lum is the opening track on the album and is played by the Beggar's Mantle Ceilidh Band. The first tune, Lochaber Gathering, is a four part march by George Stewart MacLennan. It is unclear when the Lochaber Gathering piping competition originated, but its beginnings go back to the dawn of competion among pipers. It is known however, that as far back as 1816, the event was recorded in the annals of the Highland Society of London. The composer GS MacLennan (or McLennan) was born in Edinburgh in 1883 to a leading and long-standing piping family and died in his prime at age 46 in 1929 with his only book of music just off the press. Those who heard him say his fingers were miraculous. His astonishing technical prowess contributed to an important evolution in Highland pipe technique in the early part of the twentieth century. As a composer, the quality and lasting appeal of his tunes are unequalled. 
		The second tune, Tam Bain's Lum, is a four part pipe hornpipe by Donald Shaw Ramsay. Though it seems tame today, in the days before the modern, finger-twisting, bent-note pipe tunes, this DS Ramsay composition pushed the envelope. The tune was reportedly written about a chimney ('lum') in Laurieston, near Falkirk, in the shape of Abraham Lincoln's hat. It was part of a row of tenement houses and owned by a fellow named Tam Bain. Ramsay was apparently quite taken by the sight and named this tune after it. The tune was probably written in the early 1950s.
		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.
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Lochaber Gathering : Tam Bain's Lum

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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

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.