Lyr Req: Wee Magic Stane (Johnny McEvoy)

Subject: Lyric req: Destiny Stone
From:
Date: 07 Jun 97 - 12:21 PM

Hi. I'm looking for the lyrics of "The Destiny Stone/Stane", concerning the abduction of the stone of Scone from Westminister Abbey in the early fifties. It's set to the same tune as "The Old Orange Flute" and start with "The Dean of Westminister's a powerful man..."

Subject: Lyr Add: WEE MAGIC STANE (Johnny McEvoy)
From: Murray
Date: 08 Jun 97 - 01:49 AM

The song was published originally in a little booklet called "Sangs o' the Stane", n.d. but must be 1951, ascribed to Johnny McEvoy, a Glasgow singer. I have heard since that it's actually by Josh MacRae, who does exist, also from Glasgow. Words & music are in Norman Buchan's anthology "101 Scottish Songs". Here it is as I remember it:

Oh the Dean o Westminster was a powerful man
He held a' the strings o the state in his han',
But for a' his great business it flustered him nane
Till some rogues ran awa wi his wee magic stane.
[Singing toorali-oorali-oorali-ay.]

Noo the stane had great poo'rs that could dae sic a thing,
But it seems that withoot it, we'd be wantin a king;
So he called in the polis and gave his decree,
"Go and hunt out the stane and return it to me."

Sae the polis went beetlin way up to the north,
They huntit the Clyde an they huntit the Forth;
But the wild folk up yonder were nae use ava,
For they didnae believe it was magic at a'.

The Provost o Glasgow, Sir Victor by name,
Was awfu pit oot when he heard o the stane,
An he offered the statues that stand in George Square,
That the High Church's masons might carve a few mair.

When the Dean o Westminster wi this was acquaint,
He sent for Sir Victor an made him a saint;
"Now it's no use your sending your statues down here,"
Said the Dean, "but you've given me a jolly good idea."

Sae he quarried a stane o the very same stuff,
And dressed it a' up till it looked right enough,
Then he sent for the press and announced that the stane
Had been found and returned to Westminster again.

When the reivers fand oot what Westminster had done,
They went aboot diggin up stanes by the ton,
And for each wan they finished, they entered a claim
That this was the true and original stane.

But the cream o the joke still remains to be telt,
For the bloke that was turnin them aff on the belt,
At the peak o production was sae sairly pressed,
That the real yin got bunged in alang wi the rest.

Sae if ever ye come on a stane wi a ring,
Jist sit yersel doon and appoint yersel king;
For there's nane could come forret to challenge yer claim
That ye crooned yersel king on the Destiny Stane.

[This goes to the first half of the "Ould Orange Flute", or to the practically identical "Villikins".]

There are other songs in the original booklet, but none has lasted (or deserves to last, let's face it), but this one, which I count a real classic.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Wee Magic Stane (Josh McRae?)
From: Felipa
Date: 13 Sep 20 - 05:47 PM

"Josh MacRae (17 July 1933 – 1977) was a Scottish folk singer. His actual name was Iain Macrae, but he called himself Josh after the blues musician Josh White..." info found on a BBC site but attributed to Wikipedia.

DT attribution to Johnny McEvoy is probably incorrect (I think McEvoy started composing songs later), the stone was stolen on Christmas Day 1950 not 1951 according to accounts I've been reading. And the right stone was definitely found according to Ian Hamilton, one of the theives, interviewed circa 2008. It was a rather amazing exploit. The four students who stole the stone were not charged, for fear that a court case would encourage support for Scottish nationalists and lead to public unrest. One of the students even became a lawyer. http://www.thesonsofscotland.co.uk/istolestoneofdestiny.htm

okay, now I'm going to start a new thread with lyrics of Òran na Cloiche (song of the stone)

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Wee Magic Stane (Johnny McEvoy)
From: Jack Campin
Date: 14 Sep 20 - 02:31 AM

I have three editions of the Rebels Ceilidh Song Book, one of which is probably the first. The author is "John McEvoy" in all of them.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Wee Magic Stane (Johnny McEvoy)
From: Jack Campin
Date: 14 Sep 20 - 02:59 AM

Are John McEvoy and Johnny McEvoy the same person?

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Wee Magic Stane (Johnny McEvoy)
From: Jim McLean
Date: 14 Sep 20 - 04:27 AM

Yes, definitely written by John McEvoy, sometimes called Johnny. He went to Canada soon after writing this .... his one and only composition.
Interestingly, in the original and subsequent printings of the song, the melody given is 'The Ould (sic) Orange Flute' showing the religious proclivity of the publishers. The original tune is known as Villikens and his Dinah.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Wee Magic Stane (Johnny McEvoy)
From: Richard Mellish
Date: 14 Sep 20 - 06:13 AM

I recommend the book. It's a great tale.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Wee Magic Stane (Johnny McEvoy)
From: Gallus Moll
Date: 14 Sep 20 - 09:16 PM

Ian Hamilton became a lawyer. He lives near Oban.