"CALUMS DREAM"
Rossie Ross
Sometimes there are stories
That simply must be told,
O' sorrow,joy an' glories
Past tae young fae old,
Here is such a story,
I'd like tae share wi you,
About a son o' Raasay,
An Eilean man sae true,
He was known as Calum,
Macleod that was his clan,
The isle he loved was dyin',
But Calum had a plan.
CHORUS-
Calums road aye Calums road,
Built wi sweat an' toil,
For future generations,
An' those driven fae the soil.
Tae turn the tide o' history,
As hard as that would seem,
An' secure the islands future,
That was Calums dream,
So in the north at Arnish,
In nineteen sixty four,
He began tae dig the land,
The factor cleared before,
If he could join the-gether,
The south end an' the north,
Maybe life would spring again,
In the homeland o' his birth?
CHORUS.
Depopulation rife again,
Never far fae mind,
If he began tae weaken,
In God strength he would find,
Wi barrow,pick an' shovel,
Workin' night an' day,
Wi nuthin' but his callus hands,
Calum cleared the way,
Six days he'd be workin',
The saabath rest an' pray,
Then Calums road completed,
Two decades past the day.
CHORUS.
Calum died in "88"
A legend amoung men,
The self-belief that drove him,
None would see again,
But he lived tae see his dream,
His vision had come true,
The north o' Raasay breathes again,
Calum thanks tae you,
So tae that humble man,
I dedicate my ode,
Raise yer glasses tae him,
Tae Calum an' his road.
Calums road aye Calums road,
Built wi sweat an' toil,
For future generations,
An' those driven fae the soil,
Calums road aye Calums road,
As people come tae view,
The north o' Raasay breathes again,
Aye calum thanks tae you!
BANNOCKBURN
Gordon Menzies
Edward of England, northwards did ride
Will yon Scotsman fight, was the question that he cried
Will yon Scotsman fight, aye in darkness or daylight
We shall die or be free cried the Bruce
Chorus
We shall die or be free cried the Bruce
We shall die or be free cried the Bruce
Will yon Scotsman fight, aye in darkness or daylight
We shall die or be free cried the Bruce
A hundred thousand Sassenachs had rallied to their King
And Edward King of Scots, was the boast that they did sing
Nae English King of Scots, though our freedom's nearly bought
We shall die or be free cried the Bruce
Chorus
The brave and mighty Bruce to his countrymen did turn
Said stand fast and true when you reach the Bannockburn
Stand fast and true for this land belongs to you
We shall die or be free cried the Bruce
Chorus
The long-bows of England and forty-thousand horse
Deadly and grim fell upon the Scottish force
Deadly and grim still we sang our battle hymn
We shall die or be free cried the Bruce
Chorus
The Bannockburn is won the Sassenachs have fled
Nothing now remains but the dying and the dead
Nothing now remains but a Scottish monarch reigns
We shall die or be free cried the Bruce
Chorus
SCOTLAND FOR EVER
Days are gone Oh my land my home
When our fathers fought to be free
Now you hear us say, we would lead the way
Once more o Scotland for ever
Proud and brave Oh our fathers gave
For the right to think as we do
And in Freedom's name we will stand again
Once more o' Scotland for ever.
High above, this land I love
Is a flag that is dearest to me
Let the banner fly 'neath a Scottish sky
Once more o' Scotland for ever.
Days are gone Oh my land my home
But in memories still they remain
So proud to be in a land that's free
Once more o' Scotland for ever.
High above, this land I love
Is a flag that is dearest to me
Let the banner fly 'neath a Scottish sky
Once more o' Scotland for ever.
High above, this land I love
Is a flag that is dearest to me.
Let the Saltire fly 'neath a Scottish sky
Once more o' Scotland for ever.
GLASGOW LIZ
Kenny Jamieson
Take me back, take me back
To those halcyon days
Take me back to those waters
That flow from your braes.
Oh it's I mind the time
And the long summer days
We took joy from those waters
In oh so many ways.
chorus
Fareweel tae the sweetest girl I know
Fareweel and ae fond kiss
Fareweel tae dear old Glasgow town
Fareweel, fareweel my dear Glasgow Liz.
Ah but now I am older
Wiser it seems
But still when I sleep
You flow through my dreams.
You will always be near
No matter how far.
You will always be near
And dear to my heart.
chorus
We never see the mountains,
Valleys or the trees.
Never smell the flowers
Hear the birds or the bees
Til we've fallen in love
Been brought to our knees
Only then we discover
The beauty of these.
chorus
Repeat verse 1
chorus
SUMMER WALKERS
Sometimes when you journey
Through the pages of a book
You're taken places beyond words
You let them speak the truth.
Today I've opened treasures
My eyes could scarce believe.
They're the words of confirmation
Everything that makes me sing.
Summer comes to Sutherland
And you bend the hazel bow.
You harness up the ponies
And you head out on the road.
By Kilbreck and Altnaharra
You journey to your rest
With the guiding might of Suilven
For the campsites of the west.
Chorus
And it's up by the Shin,
And up by the Naver,
The long winding shores
Of Loch Maree,
By Ben Hope and Ben Loyal,
By Stark and by Arkle
The road reaches long
Now the summer is here.
Now your words are not of sentiment,
Shallow or untrue,
But wells of living water
From their clear deep sides we drew.
The songs, the tin, the horses
This country's great and ancient wilds
Your faith in God and man and nature
And the keeness of your guile.
Repeat chorus
So have you stood out on Coldbackie
At the time the sun goes down?
Or upon the king of campsites
In the hills about Brae Tongue?
That's when the music filled your evenings
It's all so different now this world
For you were the summer walkers
And the fishers of the pearl.
So as we close another chapter
That we label Archive Gold,
Still the Conon flows each morning
And the dew falls on the sloe,
But today you took me walking
Through a land that we have lost,
While our children sit at websites
With no access to the cost.
Repeat chorus
COLLIER LADDIE
Traditional
I've travelled east, I've travelled west,
I travelled by Kirkaldy,
The bonniest lass that e'er I saw,
Was followin' a collier laddie.
"O, whaur dae ye bide, my bonnie lass?
Tell me what they ca' ye?"
"Bonnie Jean Gordon is my name
And I'm followin' a collier laddie."
"Dae ye no’ see yon high high hills
The sun shines on sae brawlie?
They're a’ mine and they shall be thine
If ye leave your collier laddie."
"An’ ye will walk in silk attire,
Buskit up sae gaudie;
Wi’ one to wait on every haun,
If ye leave your collier laddie."
"Though you had a' the sun shines on,
An’ the earth conceals sae lowly;
I’d turn my back upon them a'
Tae embrace my collier laddie."
So he has ga’en tae her faither dear,
Tae her faither ga’n sae brawlie;
“Gie tae me yer bonnie wee lass
That's followin' a collier laddie?
I’ll gi’e her lands, I’ll gi’e her rents
I’ll mak her a lady
I’ll mak her one o’ a higher degree
Than’ll follow a collier laddie
Her faither then did vow and sware,
"Though he be black he's bonnie,
She's mair delight in him, I fear,
Than you an’ a' your money."
I've travelled east, I've travelled west,
I’ve travelled by Kirkaldy,
The bonniest lass that e'er I saw,
Was followin' a collier laddie.
JOHN O' LORN
by Neil Munro
Well ma plaidies on ma shoulder
An' ma boat is on the shore
An' it's a' by wi' auld days an' you
Here's a health and here's a heartbreak
'N' it's home my dear no more
Tae the green glens, the bonnie glens we knew.
It was for the sake o' Chairlie
Ach Woe upon the war
That brought ma faither's son tae sic a day
Ah wid rather be a craven
Wi' no hame, no name, nor scars
Than turn an exiles heel on Moidart Bay
'N' you in the days
You'd be here 'n' in the mirk
Wi' the kind heart the open hand an' free
While far awa' in foreign France
In town or camp or kirk
I'll be wonderin' if you'll keep a thought for me.
Never more the heather
Or the bracken at ma knee
Ah'm poor John o' Lorn, a broken man
For an old Highland story
Ah must sail the swingin' seas
A chief without a castle or a clan
DUMBARTON CASTLE
by Kenny Jamieson
Standin' on the platform, lookin' to the west
The sun is sinkin' down below the land that I love best
See the darkened hills of Argyll in silhouette
Though I'm leavin' home I promise you I won't forget
Nights behind Dumbarton Castle where the fire is burnin' yet.
As a child I was enchanted by the witches there ahin
And the dangers that awaited me in the rocks there high abin
And though those days are over, I'm thinking of them yet
Though I'm leavin' home I promise you I won't forget
Nights behind Dumbarton Castle where the fire is burnin' yet.
We played tag in yonder sawmill while the watchman was away
Now the sawmill's closed, aye an' the pier has had it's day
Those days are just a memory that I remember still
Though I'm leavin' home I promise you I always will
Nights behind Dumbarton Castle where the fire is burnin' yet.
The tide is slowly ebbin', ye can hear the seagulls cries
Twas there that you deceived me wi yer kisses and yer lies
Twas there ye said ye loved me then you broke my heart in two
'N' that is why I'm leavin home though I'm still in love with you
Nights behind Dumbarton Castle where the fire is burnin' yet.
And now the train is leavin', I begin to feel the pain
I wonder if some day I might come this way again
Behind those lovely Highland hills the sun begins to set
Though I'm leavin' home I promise you I won't forget
Nights behind Dumbarton Castle where the fire is burnin' yet.
1320
Gordon Menzies
Oh the year was 1320
In the Abbey o' Arbroath
When the sons of sovereign Scotland
First took their solemn oath.
(chorus)
For freedom we'll endeavour
For liberty we'll strive
And tae England, No Surrender
While one hundred true Scots survive.
On that glorious occasion
Was Scotland's future writ
Tae foreign domination
We never shall submit
chorus
Wi the words o promise spoken
Tae calm our bitter steel
While blades of grass lie broken
Beneath the Saxon heel
chorus
And should our chosen fail us
And kneel at London's door
Lest treason should assail us
We shall tak tae the steel once more
chorus
repeat chorus
NAE UNION
by Roddie Maclean
William Wallace was a patriot
That very special name
We give to those who stand and fight their freedom to retain.
They took him down to London Town
His treason tae explain
And for fighting for his country as a traitor he was slain.
(chorus)
Nae Union, nae surrender in the cause of liberty
For if yer no' for Scotland then against her you must be.
When English Edward crossed the border
Scotland burned again
And Bruce he raised the standard for the loyal fightin' men
Six times he tried six times he failed
To stem the Saxon tide
Til Edward's son fled Bannockburn defeated and denied.
chorus
Now England ne'er forgot that day
It spoiled all her dreams
With Scotland free she'd have to try again by other means
When Jamie went tae London Toon
He couldnae see at a'
That England was the larger and the large would rule the sma'
chorus
The Articles of Union held the people in a rage
Men turned their coats and sold their votes
And made their country slaves.
Then Fletcher said ye'll dance ye fools til all eternity
Their trap ye've sprung, yersel's ye've hung
Ye've no majority
chorus
They burned the Treaty at Dumfries
Upon the cobbled stanes
Accept what they rejected and you'll wear submission's chains
Since then the Straven Martyrs and the loyal John Maclean
All fought and died for Scotland free and we must do the same
chorus
Doon through the ages rings the Declaration of Arbroath
To our undyin' shame we've lost our pride and freedom both
Is there still left one hundred men in Scotland we can trust
To raise up freedom's sword that lies neglected in the dust
chorus
HUSH HUSH (AKA SMILE IN YOUR SLEEP)
Jim McLean
Chorus:
Hush hush, time tae be sleepin'
Hush hush, dreams come a-creepin'
Dreams o' peace and o' freedom
So smile in your sleep, bonny baby.
Once our valleys were ringin'
Wi' sounds o' oor children singin'
But now sheep bleat in the evenin'
And shielings lie empty an' broken.
Chorus
We stood wi' heads bowed in prayer
While factors burned our cottages fair
Flames licked the clear mountain air
And many were dead by the mornin'
Chorus
Where was our fierce Highland mettle
Oor men once fearless in battle
Now stand, cowed, huddled like cattle
And wait tae be shipped o'er the ocean
Chorus
No use in cryin' or pleadin'
Gone, gone, a' hope o' stayin'
So hush hush, the anchor's a-weighin'
Don't cry in your sleep, bonny baby
Chorus
COME BY THE HILLS
Come by the hills tae the land where fancy is free
Stand where the peaks meet the sky and the lochs meet the sea
Where the river runs clear and bracken is gold in the sun
And the cares of tomorrow must wait till this day is done.
Come by the hills tae the land where life is a song
Sing where the birds fill the air wi' their joy all day long
Where the trees sway in time and even the wind is in tune
And the cares of tomorrow must wait till this day is done.
Come by the hills tae the land where legend remains
Where stories of old fill the heart and may yet come again
For the past it is lost and our future is yet tae be won
And the cares of tomorrow must wait till this day is done.
Come by the hills tae the land where fancy is free
Stand where the peaks meet the sky and the lochs meet the sea
Where the river runs clear and bracken is gold in the sun
And the cares of tomorrow must wait till this day is done.
And the cares of tomorrow must wait till this day is done.
KISHORN COMMANDOS
by Gordon Menzies
Chorus:
We're the Kishorn Commandos way up in Wester Ross
We never had a gaffer, never had a boss
We built the biggest oil rig ye've ever come across
Remember we're the Kishorn Commandos.
Repeat chorus
Early every morning we get wakened by a shout
Get up ye idle buggers, won't ye get yer finger out
What do we get for breakfast? Seven pints o' stout
Remember we're the Kishorn Commandos
Chorus
We're the toughest bunch o' navvies that you have ever met
We'll work or fight wi' anyone and you can take a bet
There may be some men tougher, we haven't found them yet
Remember we're the Kishorn Commandos
Chorus
We never joined the Navy, we never joined the RAF
Never joined the Army, we're no sae bloody daft
We'd rather go to Kishorn, get paid for skivin' off
Remember we're the Kishorn Commandos.
Chorus
We're the Kishorn Commandos, way up in Wester Ross
We never had a gaffer, never had a boss
We built the biggest oil rig ye've ever come across
Remember we're the Kishorn Commandos.
CALEDONIA
by Dougie Maclean
I don' know if you can see
The changes that have come over me
These last few days I've bin afraid, might drift away.
I've bin tellin' old stories, singin' songs
Made me think about where I come from
That's the reason why I seem so far away today.
Chorus
An' let me tell you that I love you
That I think about you a' the time
Caledonia you're callin' me, now I'm goin' home
If I should become a stranger
Know that it would make me more than sad
Caledonia's bin everythin I've ever had.
Now I have moved, I've kept on movin'
Proved the points that I needed provin'
Lost the friends that I needed losin'
Found others on the way
I have kissed the ladies, left them cryin'
Stolen dreams, there's no denyin'
I've travelled hard, sometimes wi' conscience flyin'
Somewhere wi' the wind
Chorus
Now I'm sittin here before the fire
Empty room, the forest choir
The flames have cooled, can't get any higher
They've withered now they're gone
But I'm steady thinkin' my way is clear
'Nd I know what I will do tomorrow
When the hands are shaken and the kisses flow
I will disappear
Chorus
NAVER BAY
by David Silver
Chorus:
Where the Naver meets the sea
That's the place I long to be
Where the crofters tend their sheep and make their hay
Workin' on a threshin' mill
Back in bonny Bettyhill
In a place that's known as Bonny Naver Bay.
You can go to Kirtomy
That's a place beside the sea
Or to Hope or Tongue a few miles further west
Ah but if I had my way
I would stay by Naver Bay
It is the place I dearly love the best.
Chorus
There's the waters o' Kylesku
And the bonny cave at Smoo
Ben Klibreck and Ben Loyal they are grand
Oh but how I long to be
In my home beside the sea
In a place that's known as Bonny Naver Bay.
Chorus
Oh if ever you come North
Just come to my place of birth
Forget about Loch Lomond and Loch Tay
Build your castles in the sand
In my home in Sutherland
In a place that's known as Bonny Naver Bay
Chorus
Repeat last line of chorus.
KILLIEKRANKIE
Whaur hae ye been sae braw lad?
Whaur hae ye been sae cantie-o?
Whaur hae ye been sae braw lad?
Come ye by Killiekrankie-o?
Chorus
Aye an' ye hae been whaur I hae been
Ye widnae been sae cantie-o
An' ye had seen what I hae seen
On the braes o' Killiekrankie-o
I fought on land an' I fought at sea
At hame I fought wi' my auntie-o
Met the Devil an' Dundee
On the braes o' Killiekrankie-o
Chorus
The bold pictur fell in a furr
Clavers got in a clankie-o
Or I had fed an' Athol gled
On the de'il at Killiekrankie-o
Chorus
Oh fie Mackay, whaur gart ye lie
In the bush ayond the brinkie-o
Ye'd better kiss King Billy's mooth
Than come by Killiekrankie-o
Chorus
There's nae shame, nae shame
Nae shame sae swanky-o
Soor slaes on Athol braes
An' the de'ils at Killiekrankie-o
Chorus
SONNY'S DREAM
(chorus)
Sonny don't go away, I'm here all alone
Daddy's a sailor, never comes home
Nights are so long, the silence goes on
And I'm feelin' so tired, I'm not all that strong
Sonny lives on a farm, on a wide open space
Take off your shoes
Stay out of the race
Lay down your head
By a sweet river bed
Sonny always remembers
The words mama said
(chorus)
Sonny works on the land, though he's barely a man
Not much to do, but he does what he can
Watches the sea from his room by the stairs
And the sea keeps on rollin
It's done that for years
(chorus)
It's a hundred miles to town,
Sonny's never been there
Walks to the highway Stands there and stares
Mailman comes round,
Wi' his mailbag of old
Tells Sonny stories
Full of silver and gold
(chorus)
Many years have gone by,
Sonny's old and alone
Daddy's a sailor, never came home
Sometimes he wonders
What his life might have been
But from the grave
Mama still haunts his dreams
(chorus)
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