Pete Lashley plays 'The Skye Boat Song'

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Pete's atmospheric adaptation of 'The Skye Boat Song' is an amalgamation of mandolin, guitar and slide. Early on the mandolin combined with the finger-picked Baby Taylor creates a real Gaelic traditional folk sound. The introduction of a slide at 2:38 minutes heralds in a new tune written as an add on by Pete with great effect. As the beat picks up and the tambourine jangles the mandolin begins to dance.

This version of 'The Skye Boat Song' is purely instrumental. However, the words to this famous song were written by Sir Harold Boulton (1859-1935) to an air collected by Miss Anne Macleod in the 1870's. The song was first published in 'Songs Of The North' by Boulton and Macleod in 1884. According to Andrew Kantze, a collector of folk music lore, Miss Macleod was on a trip to the Isle Of Skye and was being rowed over Loch Coruisk when the rowers broke into a Gaelic rowing song "The Cuckoo In The Grove". Boulton later added the section with the Jacobite associations recalling the escape of the young pretender, Charles Edward Stuart (Bonnie Prince Charlie) after his defeat at Culloden in 1746 and indeed the many Scots who died and were exiled for the Jacobite cause. The first and last verses from the song outline this. 'Speed bonnie boat like a bird on the wing, "Onward" the sailors cry, Carry the lad that's born to be king, Over the sea to Skye....... 'Burned are their homes, exile and death, Scatter the loyal men, Yet ere the sword cool in the sheath, Charlie will come again'

Category:

Music

Tags:

• The Skye Boat Song
• Pete Lashley
• Acoustic
• Folk
• Roots
• Country
• English Lake District

[kroovaijabe]

it's beautiful, mate, well done.