A waulking song by Rebsie
Genre: A Cappella
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Keywords:
traditional (75), Scottish (16), waulking song (2)
Description:
A one take wonder.
Been away with the faeries for a while, this is what I came back with.
Been away with the faeries for a while, this is what I came back with.
Lyrics:
Tha mulad, tha mulad Tha lionn-dubh orm fhéin
(Hi ri hoireann o
Hi ri hoireann o)
Tha do mhingean air m'aire
Ni nach aidich mo bheul
(Hi ri ri ri o ho
Ro ho i hoireann o)
Mu'n òganach ghasda
Ùr-mharcrach' nan steud
Chan innsinn dha m'phiuthar
Meud mo chumha as do dhéidh
No dha'm mhàthair a rug mi
Chuir mi cudtrom 'na ceum
Tha sac trom air mo chridhe
Nach tog fidheall nan teud
Ach a Mhaighread nan Cuiread
'S dàn a chuir thu orm breug
Thilg thu ormsa mar ailis
Nach b'fhuilear dhomh 'm bréid
Gu robh leanabh am pasgadh
Fo asna mo chléibh
C'uim' nach innseadh tu'n fhìrinn
Mar a dh'innsinn ort fhéin
Cha b'ionann dha m'athair
'S dha t'athair-sa fhéin
Cha b'ionann dha'n taighean
'N am laighe fo'n ghréin
'S ann a gheobhte 'n taigh m'athar
Cinn is casan an fhéidh
'S ann a gheobhte 'n taigh t'athar
Cinn is cnamhan an éisg
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Feter
AHHH what a treat for new year eve ...Rebsie's acappella
..what a treat ...what a gem ...the feel of the celtic
old medievel sound of this song just took my breath ...
you realy like these spirits and faeries songs ...best
of the best for sure and you done them wonderfully ...
thank you so very much for the gem ..and have a very
blessed year with all the happiness ..you and yours ;-)
Rebsie
Thank you Feter, I hope the coming year brings you all the things you dream of.
LunaTrick
Thanks Rebs.... fantastic a cappella! And where did you get that super pict pronunciation? You have been dallying with the faerie world haven't you. Happy new year to you!
Rebsie
Apologies for being slow to reply to your emails ... I appreciate you buying my album!
Yeah, the faeries came up with the goods. I was taught Gaelic by a bard (yes a real one) in the early 90s. I always assumed I had Scottish heritage because I have such a powerful bond with the place and my grandmother had a Scottish surname but when I researched her ancestors it turns out they all came from Wandsworth.
paul f. page
I love the antiphonal singing and especially the simple open chords in your choral response as the piece progresses. You are awfully tentative with the drum. You might bring it up a bit. Oh, and might you consider--dare I say it?--timbrels on off-beats? ... This is beautiful and such a pleasure to hear artistic and satisfying music from you again.
Peace.
Paul
Rebsie
Thank you Paul, much appreciated. Translation attached below ... doesn't have much in the way of intellectual substance though I'm afraid!
I didn't put much thought into the accompaniment, it was done in a trance-like state in a couple of hours (including the mixing) so it probably would benefit from a bit more of a considered approach. It's up for grabs if anyone wants to play with it.
Rebsie
(The chorus is just nonsense syllables)
There is sorrow, there is despair upon me (literally "there is a black net over me")
There is a discontent on my mind which I dare not speak
Concerning the fine young man, the young horseman
I wouldn't even tell my sister how much I'm yearning for you
Nor the mother who bore me, and weighed me upon her step
There is a sadness in my heart which even the strings of the fiddle can't lift
But deceitful Margaret, you've cast lies about me
You maliciously said I should wear a wife's apron
That there was an unborn child inside my body
You couldn't tell the truth, as I would have done about you
Things were not the same for my father and for yours
Things were not the same in our houses at the going down of the sun
In the house of my father you'd find the heads and feet of deer
In the house of your father you'd find the heads and bones of fish
(The last bit is class snobbery ... deer were eaten by the wealthy, fish by the working classes.)
DWL
Good to hear you back here again, and what a great song to start with.
Beautifully done.
Cheers
Dick
Rebsie
Thank you dear, and it was you who talked me into coming back.
kristyjo
I love the picture. Then I sat transfixed while I listened to this. It is absolutely beautiful. The open harmonies are perfect. I didn't notice the percussion until near the end of this, but it was very fitting, and would have been great just a touch louder, maybe? Do you know what it means? To hear you get all of those syllables out, and still use such an assured, dulcet voice was a real treat.
Rebsie
Thank you. The picture was taken a long time ago on the Isle of Lewis, one of the few places they still speak Gaelic and have interesting rubbish dumps.
This was one of the first Gaelic songs I learned, in the late 80s, so I've had a lot of practice at it.
Fair point about the percussion. :)
Rocha Malhada
had me 'ummmm'in along, dear. Din't stdunnerand a bit of the prose, but it all did raise my kilt a good measure.
:-|
. - 'arold
Jim Bouchard
Not a trace, indeed! 100% excellent, as always! I think I'll go for a waulk now, you've inspired me so.
saymme
So great to see this & hear ....totally awesome song & photo : ) : ) : ) Such a beautiful language...I'm so week for foreign languages they're music inthemselves & being sung like You sing this is just magnificent !!! ThankYOu & Best To You 2009 !
magnatone
Rebsie, this is wonderful! What a treat for the ears, your acappella is gorgeous. Thanks for the post! (And, GREAT photo!)
jiguma
Like you, I have an emotional connection with Gaelic which I thought was something to do with a genetic thing, but I have similar connections to Scandinavian languages and Arabic, so I can't work that out!
This is really beautiful, and Im so pleased that you have made your return to MJ with such a powerful piece. Apart from your magical voice, I'm super-impressed by how tight your harmonies are in the chorus, in both pitch and timing.
Absolutely spine-tinglingly wonderful - there goes all my superlatives for 2009 in one phrase!
A great 2009 to you and Ian.
Neil
davajonah
Stunning stuff. You're right about the rubbish dumps on Lewis. I once cycled the length of the Outer Hebrides and couldn't believe the things I saw on the roadside! South Uist had the worst ones. However, despite the wrecked cars and whiskey bottles everywhere, 'tis a lovely part of the world. And the world is better for you having done this.
Anyway - I had to download this lovely tune and I thank you for sharing it.
Rebsie
You cycled the Outer Hebrides?! Blimey, that's brave. I drove up and down them in a van. :)
But yes, I'm glad you know what I mean about the rubbish dumps. They are truly amazing, in an environment where people are resourceful and refuse collection sparse. I remember one house in Lewis where the occupants had dumped every car they'd ever owned on the grass verge outside ... an old pre-war sit-up-and-beg Austin, a 1950s Popular, a MkIII Cortina from the 70s and a couple of other things ... so they formed a nice little chronological progression, all parked in a row and in varying stages of decomposition. Another croft had a 1950s bus dumped outside.
Thanks for your nice comment.
Joe Brady
Real nice work Rebsie; Nice and tight, all music and no noise. Tickles the Celtic gene in my DNA. Think I'll go for a waulk :-)
Rebsie
Thanks Joe. I'm not sure how I managed to get it noise-free because it was recorded on New Year's Eve with fireworks going off outside!
guitapick
...must have loved having you there...
Lovely
Reminds me of a cd called "Mouth Music", with Talitha Mackenzie singing...one of my favorite cds...
Rebsie
Ah, "mouth music" is not far away from what this is, a form of very fast rhythmic singing. Except that this one is a work song so it's a bit slower. I have a "mouth music" song I'd like to have a go at some time but it's difficult to sing it without passing out.
Thanks Bob!
kassia
beautiful. i love the little percussive elements you've added to support this, but the song is all about your vocals and they are superb. gorgeous layering. great tune and fun picture of you!
Rebsie
Thanks so much Kassia. I never waste an opportunity to have my photo taken beside a rubbish dump. :)
richardhowardjones
You got my Celtic blood stirring. Think I'll go for a walk to cool off.
Rebsie
:)
Thanks Richard. You've probably got more Celtic blood than I have ... I'm pretty much an Anglo-Saxon through and through, but I love the sound of Gaelic.
bronco
Is this a Hank Williams song? Just kidding. Your voice is as beautiful as ever. You are one of the few that can pull off an acapella song. This makes me feel like The Lord of the Rings was a true story.
Rebsie
Wha- ? You mean they made it up?
Lovely to see you Tom. Thanks for stopping by.
bud
what a treat. Your voice sounds wonderful and this music stirs my Celtic blood.
Rebsie
Hello Scottie dog, glad it did the trick for you. Your comments are always appreciated.
VicDiesel
A cool song. There are just a couple of little bits that don't seem to fit. The percussion is very tentative. Either shake your thing like you mean it, or leave it out altogether.
Initially I thought I didn't like that low harmony voice: with the big leaps it seems to blend in and stick out of the mix more or less on a note by note basis, but on second though I guess it's ok after all.
Over all: very nice. Creative harmonies, and always fun to hear languages that you don't hear every day.
Rebsie
Thanks Vic. You're right about the drums. I recorded, mixed and posted this in two hours (as an antidote to my usual habit of dithering over songs for weeks) so there are some rough edges. If I ever get round to doing a more considered version there will be improvements to the harmonies and the backing.
woofer3
and clear as a bell, can't suggest any changes, so to me I suppose that makes it perfect.
John.
Rebsie
Can't argue with that. :) Thanks John.
Bob Rodgers
is beautiful Rebsie, really enjoyed this.
Bob
Rebsie
Thank you Bob, I really appreciate you dropping by and giving it a listen.
echoroom
No really. Acapella does do this justice - this is fully realised... magical, Rebsie!