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

REDESIDE HORNPIPE 2.33

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

Composed in the 1960s by champion moothie player Willie Atkinson of Alnwick, this tune has become popular throughout the Borders‚ played here as a grand finale to the album by Tom along with three other fiddle players‚ Bob Hobkirk, Wattie Robson and Tom Scott along with Brian Miller on guitar.

Tom Hughes & Friends: Redeside Hornpipe

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

Gordon Easton is from the Blackhills of Tyrie near Fraserburgh, where his family has crofted for generations. He learned many of his old songs from his mother and grandmother and is well-known for his fiddle, jew’s harp and ‘moothie’ playing, not to mention his considerable skills as a ‘diddler’. 

At the age of 84, he recorded this his first CD (www.springthyme.co.uk/ah05). In recent years he has become a fixture on the festival competition scene, sometimes entering as many as five competitions. In 2004 he was made an honorary life member of the TMSA. In 2007 he was a guest at the Whitby Folk Week.

The farm of Barnyards on the Delgaty castle estate a mile from Turriff gave rise to one of the most famous of the old bothy ballads. Greig opens his Buchan Observer article on Ploughman Songs with Barnyards (FSNE 4, GD 3: 347).

Scots Words 
The song is rich in the Buchan or Doric dialect of the Scots language. As with any language, the Scots tongue has its regional dialects. Click on the following link to discover more about Scots and get direct access to the online Scots Language dictionary: www.springthyme.co.uk/scotslanguage

The Barnyards o Delgaty

1: As I gaed doun tae Turra market,
Turra market for tae fee,
I met in wi a fairmer chiel,
Fae the barnyards o Delgaty.

Chorus:
Lilten adie touran adie, lilten adie touran ae,
O lilten lourin lourin lourin, the barnyards o Delgaty.

2: He promised me the twa best horse,
That ever gaed in iron sheen;
Fan I gaed hame tae the barnyards,
There wis naething there but skin and bane.

3: Noo the auld black horse sat on his hunkers,
The auld dun meer lay on her wime, [i.e. belly
And aa that I could up and cry,
They widna rise at yokin time.

4: Noo Lang Meg Scot she maks ma brose,
It's wi her I canna agree,
First a knot an syne a mote and then a knot, [i.e. a lump then a little
And aye the ither jilp o bree. [i.e. spill the rest

5: Noo Jean MacPherson maks ma bed,
You should see the marks upon ma shins,
Jean, the coorse illtrickit jaud, [i.e. mischievous girl
She fills ma bed wi prickly whins.

6: Fin I gang tae the kirk on Sunday,
Mony a bonnie lass I see,
Sittin by her faither's side,
An winkin o'er the pews at me.

7: Noo some can drink and nae get drunk,
Some can fecht and nae get slain,
I can coort anither chiel's lass,
An aye gang welcome tae ma ain.

8: Ma cannle nearly burnt oot, [i.e. candle
The snotter's fairly on the wane, [i.e. the wick burnt down
So fare ye weel ye barnyards,
Ye'll niver catch me here again.

Chorus:
Lilten adie touran adie, lilten adie touran ae,
O lilten lourin lourin lourin, the barnyards o Delgaty.

Gordon Easton: Barnyards o Delgaty

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.

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: Willie John McAulay/ Benawe Highlanders

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

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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		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

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 CONUNDRUM/ BALLOCHYLE

THE UNIQUE and unmistakable sound of the Foundry Bar Band has been an important part of the Scottish Music scene for several decades and Rolling Home is their third album.

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  .

The Foundry Bar in the old fishing town of Arbroath had long been a home to local fiddlers and accordionists when, in 1976, Jim Reid gathered together a few of the regular musicians and headed for the Kinross Festival where they entered and won the Ceilidh Band competition. So was born the Foundry Bar Band. Since then the band has played at concerts and ceilidhs, clubs and festivals, village hall dances and weddings throughout the country, and of course they never miss their favourite traditional music festivals at Keith and Auchtermuchty. Here the band come rolling home – home to a quiet ceilidh in one of their regular haunts in the Angus countryside.

This is the opening track on their album The Foundry Bar Band: <a href="http://www.springthyme.co.uk/1026/" rel="nofollow" target="_parent">Rolling Home</a>.

The Conundrum/ Ballochyle

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

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

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.

Buy this!

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

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!


More / Buy

Jim Reid: Up The Noran Water

Norman Kennedy - Barnyards O Delgaty

Norman Kennedy - Donald is a Piper / Port A Beul

Here Norman sings The Laird o the Dainty Doun By learned from Jeannie Robertson the famed Aberdeen traditional singer. Jeannie was a neighbour and friend of Norman's in Aberdeen. The recording was made at the St Andrews Folk Club in the Star Hotel in 1964 when the singers from the Aberdeen Folk Club were the guests. 

1: A bonnie lass was milkin her faither's kye
A gentleman on horseback cam ridin by
A gentleman on horseback cam ridin by,
He’s the Laird o the Dainty Doonby.

2: “Hey bonnie lass an fit what wad ye dee
Gin I wis tae spend a nicht wi ye?”
“A nicht wi me that never will be
Though ye're Laird o the Dainty Doonby.”

3: But he’s keppit her by the middle sae sma,
And intae the lang grass he’s placed her doon
’Twas a lang, lang time e’er he let her up again,
The Laird o the Dainty Doonby.

4: Ae bonnie morn, and it was a bonnie day,
Her father for in some money had to pay,
Her father for in some money had to pay
Tae the Laird o the Dainty Doonby.

5: “Mornin”, says he, “And hoo dae ye do?
And hoo’s yer dochter Janet the noo?
And hoo's yer dochter Janet the noo?”
Says the Laird o the Dainty Doonby.

6: “Ma dochter Janet, she is no verra weel,
My dochter Janet she soors at her kail.
My dochter Janet she gey-like pale
Since ye laid her in the Dainty Doonby.”

7: Weel, he’s taen her be the lily-fite hand,
He showed her the rooms and there wis twenty-one.
He’s putten the keys oot intae her hand,
“Noo ye're Lady o the Dainty Doonby.”

8: “O,” says the auld man, “fit’ll I dae?”
“O,” says the auld wife, “I’ll dance till I dee.”
“Weel,” says the auld man, “I think I'll dae that tae
Since she's Lady o the Dainty Doonby.”

The song is in the second edition of David Herd - Scottish Songs and Ballads of 1776  (Vol II p231) under the title The Dainty Downby in 12 stanzas. (Roud 864).

See: https://mainlynorfolk.info/folk/songs/thelairdofthedaintydoonby.html

Norman Kennedy - Dainty Dounby

Norman here sings  Lord Gregory - a superb rendition of the ballad in a recording made at the St Andrews Folk Club in the Star Hotel in 1964 when the singers from the Aberdeen Folk Club were the guests.

1: It’s of a King's daughter who strayed from Cappoquin
In search of Lord Gregory, pray God I'll find him.

2: The rain falls on me heavy locks, the dew chills my skin, 
The baby’s cold in my arms, love, “O Gregory let me in.”

3: “Lord Gregory is not here love, nor henceforth can he be seen 
For he's gone to bonny Scotland to bring home his new queen.”

4: “So leave now these windows and likewise this hall,
For it's deep in the sea, love, you should hide your downfall.”

5: “Do you remember, Lord Gregory, that night in Cappoquin?
When we changed rings upon our fingers and that against my will.”

6: “For yours was the pure gold, love, and mine was but black tin,
 For yours was worth ten guineas, love, but mine but one cent.”

7: “Do you remember, Lord Gregory, that night in my father's hall? 
When we exchanged pocket handkerchiefs and that was worst of all.”

8: “For yours was fine linen, love, and mine was coarse cloth, 
For yours was worth one guinea, love, and mine but a groat.”

9: But leave now these windows and likewise this hall,
For it’s deep in the sea, love, you should hide your downfall.”

The earliest version of this Scottish ballad was included in David Herd’s Scottish Songs of 1776 - in his manuscript as The Bonny Lass of Lochroyan. Norman’s version is likely to have come from Ireland - perhaps directly or otherwise from the version collected from Elizabeth Cronin in Co Clare by Alan Lomax in 1951.  
Roud 49; Child 746

Norman Kennedy - Lord Gregory

Here Norman sings She Was a Rum One learned from Jeannie Robertson the famed Aberdeen traditional singer.  Jeannie was a neighbour and friend of Norman's in Aberdeen. The recording was made at the St Andrews Folk Club in the Star Hotel in 1964 when the singers from the Aberdeen Folk Club were the guests. Jeannie had been a guest a year earlier and had sung the song then to great acclaim - so the audience already knew the song well and join in the chorus with enthusiasm.

1: As I strolled out one May mornin,
One May mornin right early,
It’s there I spied a pretty fair maid.
And she was a rum one
Fal-the-diddle-I-do-ay
But a bonny one
Fal-the-diddle-I-do

2: Now she walked up and she walked down
And I walked close behind her
And I asked of her the reason why
She could not stride no wider.

Chorius:
She was a rum one
Fal-the-diddle-I-do-ay
But a bonny one
Fal-the-diddle-I-do

3: Go away, go away, you foolish young man
Stop that foolish talking
For it little becomes young men like you
Tae pick up young ladies walking.

4: “O I am a docter tae my trade
My freends they call me rare O
If ye’ll tell me far your trouble lies
I'II see fit I can try O.”

5: “Well ma trouble lies between my thighs
And there it is abidin
It tickles me baith nicht and day
And it keeps me fae my stridin.

6: Noo she lay doun upon the bank
And I provided the plaister
When I raised up she cried tae me
“O never end it maister.”

7: Weel, she gied tae me my winter's keep
LIkewise my winter's fairin
But the best thing that she's gied tae me
Was the stablin for my stallion.

Norman Kennedy - She Was A Rum One

Norman Kennedy - Banks of the Sweet Primroses

Norman Kennedy - Waulkin Song at St Andrews

This recording is probably Norman's earliest - a superb rendition of Bonnie Udny recorded in 1963 - a song known by many traditional singers in Aberdeenshire - and celebrating the 'Lang walks o Udny'. 

1: O Udny, bonny Udny, ye shine far ye stand,
The mair I see Udny the mair my hert yearns;
Though I’m east or I’m west fare’er I may be,
O aa the lands in Scotland, bonnie Udny’s for me. 

2: For it's ye’ll pu the reid rose and I'll pu the thyme,
For ye’ll drink tae your love and I'll drink tae mine;
For my mind will not alter nor go to and fro;
But I’ll aye be kind herted tae the lassie I loe.  

3: Noo it’s time tae drink up boys, it is time tae gyang hame,
For tae bide here ony langer we’d get a bad name;
And tae get a bad name, boys, that never would dee, 
For the lang walks o Udny are aa tae gae through. 

4: For Udny, bonnie Udny, ye shine far ye stan,
The mair I see Udny the mair my hert yearns,
Though I’m east or I’m west fare’er I may be,
O aa the lands in Scotland, bonnie Udny’s for me.

The recording is taken from the vinyl LP of a concert held in the Pollock Hall, Edinburgh organised by the Scottish Federation of Folk Clubs in 1963 - bringing together singers from folk clubs all over Scotland. Norman was part of the contingent from Aberdeen Club that also included Isla StClair.

Norman Kennedy - Bonnie Udny

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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