Lyr/Chords Req: My Bonny Moorhen

Subject: RE: Lyr/Chords Req: My Bonny Moorhen
From: GUEST,Grishka
Date: 17 Jun 19 - 05:13 AM

Again an interesting thread presumably dug out by spamming bots whose "contributions" were swiftly deleted.

The pairing but-and-ben is old Germanic heritage, always meaning "outside and inside". In the context of the song, I would understand "drink a health to him publicly, not only in private". Accordingly, the disguise is very thin, quite on purpose.

A moorhen was and is indeed a species, not only the female sex. In traditional English, any bird can be referred to as "she", even if clearly biologically male such as a songbird actually singing.

Subject: RE: Lyr/Chords Req: My Bonny Moorhen
From: GUEST,Murdoch MacLennan
Date: 16 Jun 19 - 12:17 PM

For Leeneia:

Prince Charles is called "she" and "her" in order to disguise his identity so that his foes cannot recognize him.

Subject: RE: Lyr/Chords Req: My Bonny Moorhen
From: GUEST,Muttley
Date: 18 Jun 18 - 10:39 AM

A Moorhen is a type of bird. A "hen" as such is usually only used in reference to a female chicken (rooster/cock being the male).            In Australia, as in many countries exists the 'Dusky Moorhen' and the Purple Swamp Hen (a large Moorhen but with the 'Moor' part of the name omitted).

Subject: RE: Lyr/Chords Req: My Bonny Moorhen
From: Gallus Moll
Date: 19 Mar 16 - 07:42 PM

A wee cottage of two rooms was /is called a but-and-ben; I think the 'but' is the kitchen end / room, the 'ben' the other end / room (granny's wee but-and-ben)
however I seem to recall being told that the human residents lived at one end and the animal(s) eg cow lived at the other end- - perhaps that is a different arrangement?!

Subject: RE: Lyr/Chords Req: My Bonny Moorhen
From: leeneia
Date: 19 Mar 16 - 09:40 AM

Hello, Guest

If you scroll to the top of the page, you'll see Quick Links. One of them is a Scots Glossary. There you will learn that:

gang = go
but = can mean without
ben = can mean inside

In this poem, ye is formal (rather than plural) you.

So "when ye gang but the house, when ye gang ben..." means when you go out of the house and when you come in.

I suspect that this was an old song that somebody modified to suit a political purpose. Why would Charles be referred to as a moorHEN, a female bird?

Subject: RE: Lyr/Chords Req: My Bonny Moorhen
From: Reinhard
Date: 19 Mar 16 - 02:38 AM

Jim, the Bonny Moorhen that Martin Carthy sang in 2014 on his and Eliza Carthy's duo album, The Moral of the Elephant, is quite another song with just the same title. It's about a fight between starving lead miners and a band of gamekeepers representing the landowners.

Subject: RE: Lyr/Chords Req: My Bonny Moorhen
From: GUEST
Date: 18 Mar 16 - 08:43 PM

What does, "when ye gang but the house, when ye gang ben..." mean?

Subject: RE: Lyr/Chords Req: My Bonny Moorhen
From: Jim Dixon
Date: 21 Sep 14 - 01:57 PM

If you want to see the sheet music (lead sheet) from Jacobite Relics, it's here.

Spotify has recordings by:
Alastair McDonald, on "Bonnie Prince Charlie" and "I Dearly Like the West"
Heather Heywood, on "Some Kind of Love," "The King Has Landed," and "Songs of Scotland"
Jim Reid, on "Yont the Tay"
Martin Carthy & Eliza Carthy, on "The Moral of the Elephant"
Peggy Seeger & Ewan MacCol,l on "Songs of the Two Rebellions"
Steeleye Span, on "Parcel of Rogues"
The Corries, on "Stovies"
and a few others.

By searching for "moorhen" you can also find the sound of the actual bird.

Subject: RE: Lyr/Chords Req: My Bonny Moorhen
From: GUEST,Scotty
Date: 20 Sep 14 - 01:11 AM

Sorry, it's on their Stovies album and on You Tube.

Subject: RE: Lyr/Chords Req: My Bonny Moorhen
From: GUEST,Scotty
Date: 20 Sep 14 - 01:08 AM

Listen to The Corries version of Bonnie Moorhen for what I'd consider the pick of the crop... incomparable!

Subject: RE: Bonny Moorhen
From: T in Oklahoma (Okiemockbird)
Date: 01 Sep 08 - 11:18 PM

By way of rounding out the source information, here is the title page from Hogg's Relics

The Jacobite Relics of Scotland; being the Songs, Airs, and Legends of the Adherents to the House of Stuart. Collected and Illustrated by James Hogg, Author of "The Queen's Wake", &c &c

Edinburgh: Printed for William Blackwood, Prince's Street; and T Cadell and W. Davies, Strand, London. MDCCCXIX.

"The Bonny Moorhen" was, as Bruce O. noted above, Song LXXVII. It was on pages 129-130. The air was printed in the key or E-minor, but since the air lacks the 6th, it is modally ambiguous. I take advantage of this to harmonize it in the Dorian mode, using for example G-major cords for the IV chord if I sing the air on D.

Subject: RE: Bonny Moorhen
From: dick greenhaus
Date: 08 May 99 - 12:21 PM

Roddy- Don't be surprised. Virtually all--if not all-- the Jacobite songs sung today were written at least a half-century after the historical events.

Subject: RE: Bonny Moorhen
From: Roddy
Date: 07 May 99 - 09:52 PM

What puzzles me is the number of songs about Bonny Prince charlie emanating from Lowland Scotland in English. the Prince's following was Gaelic in language. the Highlanders' most hated foes were the Lowlanders whose language was English - or "Scots" if you prefer. I therefore treat songs in favor of the Prince in English with a certain amoubt of schepticism. Roddy

Subject: RE: Bonny Moorhen
From: Jon W.
Date: 07 May 99 - 10:53 AM

Ewan MacColl made a recording of the version Alison posted on a record of Jacobite songs.

Subject: RE: Bonny Moorhen
From: Michael
Date: 06 May 99 - 06:07 PM

Thanks heaps Alison - that's just what I was looking for, the chords are practically the same as the ones steeleye span use, now I can add it to my repertoire.

Interesting about Bonnie Prince Charlie - I always thought this was just a beautiful song about a bird.

And thanks Bruce O. - I'll keep an eye on the database

Regards Michael

Subject: RE: Bonny Moorhen
From: Bruce O.
Date: 06 May 99 - 01:06 PM

The song above is from J. Hogg's 'Jacobite Relics of Scotland', I, #77, 1819, but it is not the original bawdy song. If Murray on Saltspring doesn't enlighten us on the original version, I'll add a little more, but he knows far more about it than I do. [See a recent Irish traditional version in Hugh Shields' 'Shamrock, Rose, and Thistle']

Subject: Lyr Add: MY BONNY MOORHEN
From: alison
Date: 05 May 99 - 10:06 PM

and the tune,

(I haven't heard the Steeleye span version... don't know if it's the same... but this tune is slightly different from the one called Bonny Muirhen in the database.)

MIDI file: MYBONN~1.MID

Timebase: 480

Name: MY BONNY MOORHEN
TimeSig: 3/4 24 8
Tempo: 100 (600000 microsec/crotchet)
Key: F
Start
0960 1 62 077 0478 0 62 077 0002 1 62 090 0478 0 62 090 0002 1 67 104 0478 0 67 104 0002 1 67 093 0478 0 67 093 0002 1 69 094 0958 0 69 094 0002 1 67 091 0478 0 67 091 0002 1 65 086 0478 0 65 086 0002 1 62 083 0478 0 62 083 0002 1 62 086 0478 0 62 086 0002 1 62 092 1438 0 62 092 0002 1 65 092 0478 0 65 092 0002 1 64 096 0478 0 64 096 0002 1 65 096 0478 0 65 096 0002 1 69 093 0478 0 69 093 0002 1 67 081 0478 0 67 081 0002 1 69 085 0478 0 69 085 0002 1 65 084 0478 0 65 084 0002 1 60 086 0478 0 60 086 0002 1 60 078 0478 0 60 078 0002 1 60 086 0958 0 60 086 0002 1 60 086 0478 0 60 086 0002 1 65 083 0478 0 65 083 0002 1 65 087 0478 0 65 087 0002 1 65 095 0478 0 65 095 0002 1 67 086 0478 0 67 086 0002 1 65 089 0478 0 65 089 0002 1 67 093 0478 0 67 093 0002 1 69 096 0478 0 69 096 0002 1 70 098 0478 0 70 098 0002 1 72 094 0478 0 72 094 0002 1 74 106 2398 0 74 106 0002 1 72 087 0238 0 72 087 0002 1 70 093 0238 0 70 093 0002 1 69 090 0478 0 69 090 0002 1 67 084 0478 0 67 084 0002 1 69 093 0478 0 69 093 0002 1 72 086 0478 0 72 086 0002 1 69 081 0478 0 69 081 0002 1 67 093 0478 0 67 093 0002 1 65 090 0478 0 65 090 0002 1 62 093 0478 0 62 093 0002 1 62 092 0478 0 62 092 0002 1 62 094 3838 0 62 094 0002 1 69 093 0238 0 69 093 0002 1 72 093 0238 0 72 093 0002 1 74 098 0478 0 74 098 0002 1 74 104 0478 0 74 104 0002 1 74 093 0478 0 74 093 0002 1 77 087 0478 0 77 087 0002 1 76 089 0478 0 76 089 0002 1 74 097 0478 0 74 097 0002 1 72 089 0478 0 72 089 0002 1 69 086 0718 0 69 086 0002 1 69 093 0238 0 69 093 0002 1 69 090 0958 0 69 090 0002 1 69 093 0478 0 69 093 0002 1 72 096 0478 0 72 096 0002 1 74 093 0478 0 74 093 0002 1 72 085 0478 0 72 085 0002 1 76 088 0478 0 76 088 0002 1 74 078 0478 0 74 078 0002 1 76 089 0473 0 76 089 0007 1 72 086 0470 0 72 086 0010 1 67 085 0676 0 67 085 0044 1 67 096 0238 0 67 096 0002 1 67 098 0958 0 67 098 0002 1 67 089 0478 0 67 089 0002 1 69 093 0478 0 69 093 0002 1 67 080 0478 0 67 080 0002 1 69 086 0478 0 69 086 0002 1 69 094 0478 0 69 094 0002 1 67 090 0478 0 67 090 0002 1 69 086 0478 0 69 086 0002 1 69 094 0479 0 69 094 0001 1 67 084 0480 1 69 092 0009 0 67 084 0469 0 69 092 0002 1 74 089 2398 0 74 089 0002 1 72 087 0478 0 72 087 0002 1 69 095 0478 0 69 095 0002 1 67 084 0478 0 67 084 0002 1 69 094 0478 0 69 094 0002 1 72 083 0478 0 72 083 0002 1 69 092 0478 0 69 092 0002 1 67 096 0478 0 67 096 0002 1 65 089 0478 0 65 089 0002 1 62 083 0478 0 62 083 0002 1 62 091 0478 0 62 091 0002 1 62 091 2398 0 62 091
End

This program is worth the effort of learning it.

To download the March 10 MIDItext 98 software and get instructions on how to use it click here

ABC format:

X:1
T:My Bonny Moorhen
M:3/4
Q:1/4=100
K:F
D6|D2G2G2|A4G2|F2D2D2|D6|F2E2F2|A2G2A2|F2C2C2|
C4C2|F2F2F2|G2F2G2|A2B2c2|d6|-d4cB|A2G2A2|
c2A2G2|F2D2D2|D6|-D6|D4A2|-A5c|d2d2d2|f2e2d2|
c2A3A|A4A2|c2d2c2|e2d2e2|c2G3G|G4G2|A2G2A2|
A2G2A2|A2G2A2|d6|-d4c2|A2G2A2|c2A2G2|F2D2D2|
D6|-D6||

Slainte

alison

Subject: Chords Add: MY BONNY MOORHEN
From: alison
Date: 05 May 99 - 09:53 PM

Hi,

Here's the guitar chords, before the words they appear on...

(Dm)My (Gm)bonny moorhen, my (Dm)bonny moorhen
Up in the (Gm)grey hill, (F)doon in the glen,
It's (Dm)when ye gang (C)but the house, (F)when ye gang(Bb) ben,
Aye (F)drink a (C)health to my (Dm)bonny moorhen,
my bonny moorhen's gane (Am)over the main,
And (F)it will be (Am)simmer or (C)she comes again,
But (F)when she comes (Am)back again (Dm)some folk will (Bb)ken(F),
(Dm)Joy be (Am)wi' thee, my (Dm)bonny moorhen.

Slainte

alison

Subject: Lyr Add: MY BONNY MOORHEN
From: alison
Date: 05 May 99 - 09:48 PM

Hi,

I couldn't find it either so here are the words, taken from Mel Bay's "Songs of Scotland".

MY BONNY MOORHEN

My bonny moorhen, my bonny moorhen,
Up in the gray hill, down in the glen;
It's when ye gang butt the house, when ye gang ben,
Aye drink a health to my bonny moorhen.
My bonny moorhen's gane over the main,
And it will be simmer or she come again;
But when she comes back again, some folk will ken:
Joy be wi' thee, my bonny moorhen!

My bonny moorhen has feathers enew,
She's a' fine colours, but nane o' them blue;
She's red, and she's white, and she's green, and she's gray.
My bonny moorhen, come hither away:
Come up by Glenduich, and down by Glendee,
And round by Kinclaven, and hither to me;
For Ronald and Donald are out on the fen,
To break the wing o' my bonnie moorhen.

According to the notes, a coded message was often used by the Jacobites. Prince Charles Stuart (Bonnie Prince Charlie) appears in songs most often described as a blackbird, as "our guidman," and in this song, as a moorhen. The colours mentioned in the second verse are those found in the Clan Stuart tartan.

I'll put the tune in soon.

Slainte

alison

Subject: Bonny Moorhen
From: Michael Brandt, New Zealand
Date: 05 May 99 - 09:18 PM

Confound it, I can't find the chords and lyrics to "Bonny Moorhen" anywhere on the database. This song is on "Original Masters" by Steeleye Span and is sung by Maddy Prior.

Can it be added to the database?

Regards MB