| Author | Topic: Add: The Mingulay Boat Song | |
| dmcg | Posted - 01 Jul 06 - 11:52 am | |
Chorus: Hill you ho, boys, Let her go, boys, Bring her head round, now all together, Hill you ho, boys, Let her go, boys, Sailing home, home to Ming-u-lay. What care we though white the Minch is? What care we for wind or weather, Let her go, boys! Ev;ry inch is Wearing home, home to Mingulay. Wives are waiting on the bank, or, Looking seaward from the heather; Pull her round, boys! And we'll anchor, Ere the sun sets at Mingulay. [Ships return now, heavy laden Mothers holdin' bairns a-cryin' They'll return, though, when the sun sets They'll return to Mingulay] Source: Singing Together, Summer 1976, BBC Publications Notes: By Sir Hugh S. Roberton (1874-1952). Verse in [ ] was not included in the Singing Together booklet. | ||
| Malcolm Douglas |
Posted - 02 Jul 06 - 12:07 am | |
I'm not at all sure that Roberton wrote that final verse; it certainly doesn't appear in his Songs of the Isles. Quite a few additional verses have been added in recent years by people who wanted a longer song to perform. Maybe this is one of them. Roberton didn't write the melody, which is described in his book as "Traditional Gaelic tune (probably Lochaber) arranged by Hugh S Roberton". The original tune was a pipe tune, 'Creag Guanach'; from, not called, Lochaber. Roberton had it from memory and had forgotten its name. | ||
| dmcg | Posted - 02 Jul 06 - 09:41 am | |
Thanks for that, Malcolm. I have removed the extra verse from the database and clarified the lyrics/melody entry there. I will leave this thread unchanged so the posts make sense. | ||
| Guest Account |
Posted - 22 Jul 06 - 12:34 am | |
From: Rhea The URL below is a site that gives a history of Mingulay and the "Boat Song" as well. Suprisingly, it was never used by the fishermen of Mingulay. http://www.geo.ed.ac.uk/scotgaz/features/featurefirst1065.html | ||