Earl of March's Daughter
MMan
Aoife uses a few distinctly Braid Scots words only when necessary for
rhyming (except for "taen," for some reason):
----------------------
Tushielaw's a-hunting gone
And gallant was his deed
He's won the heart of Lady March
The fairest maid in Tweed
Her father he has banished him
For he's below her station
And Tushielaw has fled to France
To fight for King and Nation
CHORUS
She's the Earl of March's daughter
And the fairest of them aa
And the humble squire of Tushielaw
Has taen her heart awa.
The lady she has heard the news
That Tushielaw has fled
And the lady's looking pale and drawn
And has taken to her bed
A physician has come from Neidpath now
Four seasons she's been lying
I fear she has a broken heart
I fear the lady's dying
(CHORUS)
Her father has conceded
And is wont to take the blame
And a messenger is sent to France
To fetch her lover home
The lady's feeling better now
She's risen to her feet
She's taen a house in Peebles Town
Her true love there to meet
(CHORUS)
But the lady's looking pallid
And her cheeks have lost their glow
She's not the handsome beauty
That she was a year ago
When Tushielaw to Peebles came
His horse he did not tether
He swiftly passed the lady by
He took her for another
He's galloped on to Neidpath now
His true love there to meet
He spurs his horse in anguish
He spurs his horse in vain
The lady lies in Peebles Town
It's there she's passed awa
Her wounded heart no longer beats
For handsome Tushielaw
(CHORUS)
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OK, my question is:
Were these lyrics originally entirely, or almost entirely, in Braid
Scots? I can't find the lyrics on the Internet anywhere. Does anyone
know and perhaps have the original lyrics (if they're different from
the above)?
MMan
Alexander D. Mitchell IV
convinced that Ms. Clancey lifted it from--was a performance by Jock
Tamson's Bairns, the terrific Scots trad group fronted by Rod Paterson.
Regrettably, it was only released on LP decades ago, and not re-released on
CD on "A' Jock Tamson's Bairns" on Greentrax a while back.
Malcolm Douglas
> I was listening to this song on an Aoife Clancy CD and noticed that
> Aoife uses a few distinctly Braid Scots words only when necessary for
> rhyming (except for "taen," for some reason):
(lyric omitted)
> Were these lyrics originally entirely, or almost entirely, in Braid
> Scots? I can't find the lyrics on the Internet anywhere. Does anyone
> know and perhaps have the original lyrics (if they're different from
> the above)?
'The Earl of March's Daughter' is a modern song, written by Lionel
McClelland. You'd have to ask him if he thought there was anything
"braid" about it; really it's just written in ordinary English (Scots if
you prefer) with a mild Scottish accent. I do hope that Aoife Clancy
credited the writer (she can't possibly have thought it was a
traditional song); you have the cd, so presumably you'll know.
Not to be confused with 'The Earl of Mar's Daughter', which is older by
a century or two; and *completely* unrelated.
Malcolm Douglas