Beaton's Personal Favorites (Disk 1)

Disk 1

Shoals Of Herring
The Maid In The Calico Dress
Come By The Hills
Charlie's Landing
The Road To The Isles
A Scottish Soldier
Raglan Road
Hey Johnnie Cope
If My Memory Serves Me Well
White Squall
Tramps and Hawkers
My Cavan Girl
Pipes In The Glen
Jamie Raeburn
River
Disk 2

Mary Ellen Carter
Rare Auld Times
I Have Seen The Highlands
Uist Tramping Song
The Water Is Wide
The Massacre Of Glencoe
Twa Recruiting Sergeants
Lover's Heart
Loch Tay Boat Song
The Battle's O'er
Take Her In Your Arms
Caledonia
Sally Gardens
Peggy And The Soldier
These Are My Mountains

Shoals Of Herring

It was on a fine and pleasant day,
Out of Yarmouth harbor I was faring
As a cabin boy on a sailing lugger
For to hunt the bonny Shoals of Herring.

O, the work was hard and the hours were long,
And the treatment sure it took some bearing,
There was little kindness and the kicks were many
As we hunted for the Shoals of Herring.

We fished the Swarth and the Broken Bank,
I was cook and I'd a quarter sharing.
And I used to sleep standing on my feet,
As I dream about the shoals of herring.

O, we left the home grounds in the month of June.
And to Canny Shiels we soon were bearing.
With a hundred cran o’ the silver darlings
That we’d taken from the Shoals of Herring.

Now you’re up on deck, you’re a fisherman,
You can swear and show a manly bearing.
Take your turn on watch with the other fellows
While you’re searching for the Shoals of Herring.


In the stormy seas and the living gales
Just to earn your daily bread you’re daring.
From the Dover Straits to the Faroe Islands
As you’re following the Shoals of Herring

O, I earned my keep and I paid my way,
And I earned the gear that I was wearing.
Sailed a million miles, caught ten-million fishes
We were sailing after Shoals of Herring

The Maid In The Calico Dress

In flowery July up on Comraugh’s proud heights
As the plover birds sprung from the moorland
As southward the cuckoo was taking his pride
And the cornbreak lay deep in the grass
The swallow and swift were aloft in the air
And the starlings were feeding their young
The milkmaid was tending her cattle with care
And the haymakers cheerily sung

Chorus:
The lady’s of Dublin in satin or silk
Are pretty I clearly confess
But give me the maid
Who is neatly arrayed
In a beautiful calico dress

You may praise the Italian ladies in vain
Or the maidens of France or Peru
You may worship the languishing beauties of Spain
And the blushin’ Caucasians too
But she whom I love has eyes like the sloe
And her cheeks are like roses in June
So gracefully steps as she trips like the doe
And her ruby red lips are in tune

Chorus

Should friendship or courtship compel me to roam
Or a taste of her changes constrain
I’d still call the banks of old Munster me home
And I’d sing of her praises again
The gardens of roses and sweet shady bowers
May delight a poor soul to possess
But give me the Comraugh’s bedecked with wild flowers
And the maid in the calico dress

Chorus

Come By The Hills

Come by the hills to the land where fancy is free.
Stand where the peaks meet the sky and the lochs meet the sea,
Where rivers run clear and the bracken is warm in the sun;
And the cares of tomorrow must wait until this day is done.

Come by the hills to the land where life is a song.
And sing while the birds fill the air with their joy all day long,
Where the trees sway in time and even the wind sings in tune;
And the cares of tomorrow must wait until this day is done.

Come by the hills to the land where legend remains.
Where stories of old fill the heart and may yet come again,
Where the past has been lost and the future has still to be won;
And the cares of tomorrow can wait until this day is done.

And the cares of tomorrow can wait until this day is done.


Charlies Landing

There came a wee boatie over the sea
With the winds and the waves it strove sairly
But oh! It brought great joy ta me
For wha’ was there but Prince Charlie
The wind was hie and unco chill
And a’ things luikit barely
But oh! We came wi’ right good will
To welcome bonnie Charlie

Wae’s me, puir lad, ye’re thinly clad
The waves your fair hair weetin’
We’ll row ye in a tartan plaid
An’ gie ye Scotland’s greetin’
Tho wild and bleak the prospect round
We’ll cheer your heart dear Charlie
Ye’ve landed now on Scottish ground
Wi’ them wha’ lo’e ye dearly

O lang we’ve prayed to see this day
True hearts they maist were breaking
Now clouds and storms will flee away
Young hope again is wakin’
We’ll sound the gathering lang and loud
Ye’re friends will greet ye fairlie
Tho now they’re few, their hearts are true
They will live or die for Charlie


The Road To The Isles

A far croonin’ is pullin me away
As taKe I wi my cromak to the road,
The far Coolins are pottin’ love on me
As step I wi’ the sunlight for my load

Chorus:
Sure, by Tummel and Loch Rannoch And Lochaber I will go,
By heather tracks wi heaven in their wiles;
If it’s thinkin’ in you inner heart braggart’s in my step.
You’ve never smelt the tangle o’ the Isles.
Oh, the far Coolins are puttin’ love on me,
As step I wi’ my cromak to the Isles.

It’s by Sheil water the track is to the west
By Aillort and by Morar to the sea,
The cool cresses I am thinkin’ o’ for pluck,
And bracken for a wink on mother knee.

Chorus















It’s the blue islands are pullin’ me away,
Their laughter puts the leap upon the lame
The blue islands from the Skerries to the Lews
Wi’ heather honey taste upon each name.

Chorus

A Scottish Soldier

There was a soldier, a Scottish soldier,
Who wandered far away and soldiered far away.
There was none bolder, with good broad shoulder,
He fought in many a fray. And fought and won!
He’d seen the glory and told the story,
of battles glorious and deeds victorious.
But now he’s sighing, his heart is crying,
To leave these green hills of Tyrol.

Chorus:
Because these green hills are not Highland hills.
Or the Island hills they’re not my land’s hills!
And fair as these green foreign hills may be,
They are not the hills of home.

And now the soldier, this Scottish soldier,
Who’d wandered far away and soldiered far away;
Sees leaves are falling and death is calling,
And he will fade away, in that far land!
He called his piper, his trusty piper,
And bade him sound a lay, a pibroch sad to play.
Upon a hillside, but Scottish hillside,
Not on these green hills of Tyrol.

Chorus

And so this soldier, this Scottish soldier
Will wander far no more and soldier far no more.
And on a hillside, a Scottish hillside,
You’ll see a piper play His Soldier home!
He’d seen the glory, he’d told the story,
Of battles glorious and deeds victorious,
The bugles cease now, he is at peace now,
Far from those green hills of Tyrol.

Chorus


Raglan Road
(Traditional V Kavanaugh)

On Raglan Road on an autumn day I saw her first and knew
That her dark hair would weave a snare that I might one day rue
I saw the danger and I passed along the enchanted way
And I said let grief be a fallen leaf at the dawning of the day

On Grafton Street in November we tripped lightly along the ledge.
Of a deep ravine where can be seen the true worth of passion’s pledge
The queen of hearts still making tarts and I not making hay
O I loved too much and by such by such is happiness thrown away

I gave her gifts of the mind I gave her the secret sign
That’s known to the artist who has known the true gods of sound and stone
And word and tint I did not stint for I gave her poems to say
With her own name there and her long dark hair like clouds over fields in May

On a quiet street where the old ghosts meet I see her walking now
Away from me so hurriedly my reason must allow
That I had wooed not as I should a creature made of clay
When the angel woos the clay he’d lose his wings at the dawn of day


Hey Johnnie Cope

Cope sent a challenge frae Dunbar
“Charlie, meet me an’ ye daur
And I’ll learn you the art o’ war
If you’ll meet me in the morning.”

Chorus:
Hey Johnnie Cope, are ye walkin yet
Or are your drums abeatin’yet
If ye were walkin’ I would wait
To gang to the coals in the morning.

When Charlie looked the letter upon
He drew his sword the scabbard from
Come follow me my merry men
And we’ll meet Johnnie Cope in the morning

Chorus

Now Johnnie, be as good as your word
Come let us try baith fire and sword
And dinnae flee like a frightened bird
That’s chased from its nest in the morning.

Chorus

When Johnnie Cope he heard o’ this
He thought it widna be amiss
To have a horse in readiness
To flee away in the morning.

Chorus

Fye now Johnnie, get up and rin,
The Highland bagpipes mak a din,
It's better tae sleep in a hale skin.
For 'twill be a bloody morning.

Chorus

When Johnnie Cope to Dunbar came
They spiered at him “Where’s all your men?”
“The devil confound me gin I ken
For I left them all in the morning.”

Chorus

Now Johnnie troth, ye were na blate
To come with the news o’ your own defeat
And leave your men in such a strait
So early in the morning.

Chorus

"In Faith" quote Johnnie "I got sic fegs
Wi their claymores and filabegs
If I face them devil break my legs
So I wish you all a good morning,"

Chorus

If My Memory Serves Me Well

I recall a dear green place with a river flowing through
Many years and many tears have fallen by before I knew
I must return to look one more upon my town to dwell
A birthplace with no rival if my memory serves me well
If my memory serves me well

If my sight remains acute I’ll watch the River Clyde
Flowing through the centre of my Glasgow with pride
Young lovers walk through Kelvin Grove no more romantic route
I pray to see it all again if my sight remains acute
If my sight remains acute

If my hearing doesn’t fail the lark I’ll surely hear
The sound of churning water as “The Waverly” leaves the pier
The trains of Central Station, street buskers as they wail
I pray to hear it all again if my hearing doesn’t fail
If my hearing doesn’t fail

If my step holds firm and strong I’ll stroll around George Square
Where Sir Walter Scott is perched away up in the air
I’d wonder down Argyle Street and feel like I belong
Just to walk My Glasgow if my step holds firm and strong
If my step holds firm and strong


White Squall

Now it’s just my luck to have the watch,with nothing left to do
But watch the deadly waters glide as we roll north to the Soo
And wonder when they’ll turn again and pitch us to the rail
And whirl off one more youngster in the gale

The kid was so damned eager it was all so big and new
You never had to tell him twice or find him work to do
And evenings on the mess deck he was always first to sing
And show us pictures of the girl he’d wed in spring

Chorus
But I told that kid a hundred times, don’t take the lakes for granted
They go from calm to a hundred knots so fast they seem enchanted
But tonight some red-eyed Wiarton girl lies staring at the wall
And her lovers gone into a white squall


Now it’s a thing that us old timers know in a sultry summer calm
There comes a blow from nowhere and it goes off like a bomb
And a fifteen thousand tonner can be thrown upon her beam
While the gale takes all before it with a scream

The kid was on the hatches, lying staring at the sky
From where I stood I swear I could see tears fall from his eyes
So I hadn’t the heart to tell him that he should be on a line
Even on a night so warm and fine

Chorus
When it struck, he sat up with a start, I roared to him get down
But for all that he could hear I could as well not made a sound
So I clung there to the stanchions and I felt my face go pale
As he crawled hand over hand along the rail

I could feel her heeling over with the fury of the blow
I watched the rail go under then so terrible and slow
Then like some great dog, she shook herself and roared upright again
Far over side, I heard him call my name

Chorus

So it’s just my luck to have the watch with nothing left to do
But watch the deadly waters glide as we roll north to the Soo
And wonder when they’ll turn again and pitch us to the rail
And whirl off one more youngster in the gale

Chorus


Tramps and Hawkers

Come all ye tramps and hawker lads an' gaitherers o' bla'
That tramps the country roun' and roun', come listen one an’ a'
I'll tell tae ye a rovin' tale, an' places I have been
Far up into the snowy north, or south by Gretna Green.

I have seen the high Ben Nevis a towerin' to the moon
I've been by Crieff an' Callander an' roun' by Bonny Doune
And by Loch Nessie's silvery tide an' places ill tae ken
Far up into the snowy north lies Urquhart's bonnie glen

Loch Katrine and Loch Lomond, they've all been seen by me
The Dee, the Don, the Deveron, that a' flows into the sea
Dunrobin Castle, by the way, I nearly had forgot
And aye the rickles o' cairn marks the hoose o' John O' Groats

I think I'll go to Paddy's lan’ I'm makin' up my mind
For Scotland's greatly altered noo, I canna raise the wind
But I will trust in providence, if providence proves true
And I will sing of Erin's Isle when I come back to you.

So it’s just my luck to have the watch with nothing left to do
But watch the deadly waters glide as we roll north to the Soo
And wonder when they’ll turn again and pitch us to the rail
And whirl off one more youngster in the gale

But I tell these kids a hundred times, don’t take the lakes for granted
They go from calm to a hundred knots so fast they seem enchanted
But tonight some red-eyed Wiarton girl lies staring at the wall
And her lovers gone into a white squall


My Cavan Girl
(Thomas L. Moore)

As I walk the road from Killashandra, weary I sit down.
For it's twelve long miles around the lake to get to Cavan town.
Though Oughter and the road I go once seemed beyond compare.
Now I curse the time it takes to reach my Cavan girl so fair.

The autumn shades are on the leaves, the trees will soon be bare,
Each red-gold leaf around me seems the colour of her hair.
My gaze retreats to find my feet and once again I sigh,
For the broken pools of sky reminds the colour of her eye.

At the gathering Cross each Sunday morning there she can be found,
And she seems to have the eye of every boy in Cavan town.
If my luck will hold I'll have the golden summer of her smile,
And to break the hearts of Cavan men, she'll talk to me a while.

So next Sunday evening finds me homeward - Killashandra bound,
To work the week, till I return and court in Cavan town.
When asked if she would be my bride at least she'd not said "no",
So next Sunday morning, rouse myself, and back to her I'll go.

The Pipes In The Glen

Twas in the summer of ’45,
The Young Pretender did arrive
And the misty highlands came alive
At Glenfinnan, by the loch-side shore.

The royal standard soon was raised.
With power and charm he set ablaze
The chieftains hearts to join the fray,
Oh Scotia, the lions roar.

Chorus:
And we’ll march in the name of brave Charlie.
Hear the cries o’ the highland men.
Should we stand as one, we’ll march in the sun
To the sound o’ the pipes in the glen,
To the sound o’ the pipes in the glen.

With claymores drawn against the crown,
Jacobites stood on higher ground.
As Charlie spoke there was ne’er a sound,
‘Cept the rustle of the heather floor.

Then a roar went up for the rightful king
And the courage that his words could bring.
So voices through the years could sing
Of Charlie forevermore.

Chorus


Jamie Raeburn

My name is Jamie Raebom in Glasgow I was born
My place and habitation I’m forced to leave in scorn
From my place of habitation I now most gang awn’
Far frae the bonny hills and dales of Caledonia.

It was early in the morning just by the break of day
We were wakened by the turnkey who unto us did say
Arise ye hapless convicts arise ye one and a’
This is the day you are to stray frae Caledonia

We all arose in misery our hearts were filled with grief
Our friends all gathered round the coach could grant us no relief
Our parents, wives and sweethearts, their hearts were broke in twa
To see us leave the hills and dales of Caledonia.

Farewell my aged mother I’m vexed for what I’ve done
I hope none will cast up to you the race that I have run
And I hope God will protect you while I am far awa’
Far frae the bonny hills and dales of Caledonia

Farewell my aged father you were the best of men
Likewise my own sweetheart it’s Catherine is her name
No more we’ll walk by Clydes clear stream or by the Broomielaw
For I must leave the hills and dales of Caledonia


River
by Bill Staines

I was born in the path of the winter wind,
I was raised where the mountains are old.
Their springtime waters came dancing down,
And I remember the tales they told.

The whistling ways of my younger days
Too quickly have faded on by,
But all of their memories linger on
Like the light in a fading sky.

Chorus:
River, take me along
In your sunshine, sing me a song
Ever moving, and winding and free;
You rolling old river, you changing old river,
Let's you and me, river, run down to the sea.

I've been to the city and back again,
I've been moved by some things that I've learned;
Met a lot of good people and I’ve called them friends
Felt the change when the seasons turned

I've heard all the songs that the children sing,
And listened to love's melodies;
I've felt my own music within me rise
Like the wind in the autumn trees.



















Chorus

Someday when the flowers are blooming still
Someday when the grass is still green
My rolling waters will round the bend
And flow into the open sea.

So here's to the rainbow that's followed me here,
And here's to the friends that I know;
And here's to the song that's within me now
I will sing it where'er I go.

Chorus