Origin: Smile in Your Sleep (Jim McLean)

Subject: Song authorship?
From: GUEST
Date: 20 Jul 01 - 04:39 PM

I came across a song I liked on MP3 awhile back, called "Hush" by a group calling themselves Tam Lyn, on an album called "The Gathering of Celtic Women":

http://stations.mp3s.com/stations/87/the_gathering.html

Well, the song seems very familiar to me, so today I did a quick Google search, which turned up lyrics for the song on Dick Gaughan's web page:

http://www.dickalba.demon.co.uk/songs/texts/hushhush.htm

Gaughan refers to the title as "Smile in Your Sleep" and says the lyrics were composed by Jim McLean, and set to the tune "Mist Covered Mountains"

Gaughan credits it thusly:

"Digital Tradition describes this as an old Scots lullaby -- it is anything but.

It is a modern song by Jim McLean about the savagery and mass deportations of what is now called the Highland Clearance during the 19th century when whole tribal communities were destroyed and the people shipped by force to Cape Breton and Nova Scotia."

So, I entered the title "Hush, Hush" in Digital Tradition, and the song came up under "Don't Cry in Your Sleep":

CHO: Hush, hush, time to be sleeping...

Anyone able to sort this out?

---

Note from Joe Offer, 5 Sept 2002:
This song, properly known as "Smile in Your Sleep," was written by Jim McLean. It appears unattributed in the Digital Tradition, under the title Don't Cry In Your Sleep (click). Tune and more complete lyrics are in this thread (click)

Subject: RE: Song authorship?
From: Sorcha
Date: 20 Jul 01 - 05:04 PM

Perhaps you need to e mail or PM Dick Greenhaus. No one else can sort out the DT stuff.

Subject: RE: Song authorship?
From:
Date: 20 Jul 01 - 05:31 PM

The tune itself IS an ancient tune. It was taken in 1856, by John(Iain in Gaelic) Cameron. The tune was Johnny Comes Lately to the Fair. He wrote a song called Chì Mi Na Mòrbheanna.

Later, the fellow you cited wrote his own song to the tune, which had been re-christened with that name.

For more on the song Ch&i Mi Na Mòbheanna, look it up at :

Ch&i Mi Na Mòbheanna

For the Hush, Hush/Smile ... There is a page on that someplace. Will have to look it up.

Subject: RE: Song authorship?
From:
Date: 20 Jul 01 - 05:36 PM

Here it is. On Lesley Nelson's Contemplator Site. Have a look.... Smile In Your Sleep

Apparently Jim MacLean gave permission for Lesley to post the words there. The original Gaelic tune name is also there. Enjoy, Guest.

Subject: RE: Song authorship?
From: GUEST
Date: 20 Jul 01 - 05:58 PM

Hey George, I'm surprised we didn't bump into each other at Contemplator!

Found the lyrics at this nice site on the Highland Clearances too:

http://www.macgowan.org/versesong.html

Appreciate your speedy delivery help!

Go raibh maith agat

Subject: RE: Song authorship?
From: GUEST
Date: 20 Jul 01 - 06:23 PM

So, it looks as though one would credit Jim for lyrics, trad for tune.

And distinguish it from "Chì Mi Na Mòrbheanna" which isn't a lullaby either, but a praise song, which isn't trad either, but composed by by Iain Camaron in 1856, it says here.

Now, if I have this right, we have one tune, two sets of lyrics. One composed in Gaelic by Iain Camaron, a praise song of his homeland, in the public domain. The other is composed by Jim McLean, which appears to be copyrighted, Duart Music.

But! What's up with the other song cited at Contemplator: "Duil ri Baile Chaolais fhaicinn"?

Google tells me the Rankin Family covered it, and they say thusly about this Cape Breton standard:

"Chì Mi Na Mórbheanna" was written by John Cameron of Scotland in 1856. The original title was "Duil Ri Baile Chaolais Fhaicinn." The song was a favorite of King George VI and was played at both his and the U.S. President John F. Kennedy's funerals. Because of its serene and beautiful melodic nature, the song is often used as a lullaby.

"Growing up along the west coast of Cape Breton, 'Chì Mi Na Mórbheanna' was a popular song," said Heather Rankin, one of the vocalists with the group. "It was one of the many songs I learned as a member of a small Gaelic choir I belonged to as a child. This choir was started in hopes of sparking interest in the Gaelic language amongst the younger generation in the area."

So there you have it! The lullaby connection is Cape Breton apparently, and not Scots.

Veeerrrry interesting!

Subject: RE: Song authorship?
From:
Date: 21 Jul 01 - 10:06 AM

One of the ways the immigrants kept their dreams alive was to tell of the country they left behind. Using Chì Mi Na Mórbheanna as a lullaby is certainly consistent with that aim.

The Jim MacLean fellow is who made a lullaby song out of the tune. Sounds like it was a fairly recent song. Wonder when he wrote it.

Anyway, yes, you have the facts correct. I've looked high and low for the "Duil ri Baile Chaolais fhaicinn". I am not sure if it was just a tune or a song.

If you do come across it, please let us know here.

Subject: RE: Song authorship?
From: Jeremiah McCaw
Date: 21 Jul 01 - 12:22 PM

Bobby Watt does an excellent interpretation of the "Hush, Hush" lyrics on his "Homeland" CD.

Subject: RE: Song authorship?
From: GUEST
Date: 22 Jul 01 - 11:01 AM

Jeremiah,

How does he credit the song?

Subject: RE: Song authorship?
From: Peter K (Fionn)
Date: 22 Jul 01 - 06:41 PM

Interesting thread, for which thanks, Guest. But it would be helpful if you put something in the "from" line when you post, or you just show up as "guest" - which is fine in a trouble-free thread like this one (or it is until another guest or two weigh in, then it is impossible to know which guest is saying what). Of course you could even become a member - no charge, no obligation, no spam, just some useful benefits.

Subject: RE: Origin: Smile in Your Sleep (Jim McLean)
From: GUEST
Date: 14 Feb 12 - 10:30 PM

Can't find a recording of this song anywhere!

Subject: RE: Origin: Smile in Your Sleep (Jim McLean)
From:
Date: 14 Feb 12 - 11:23 PM

Her's the tune, and you can sing Jim's song yourself

Melody Lane

Subject: RE: Origin: Smile in Your Sleep (Jim McLean)
From: Joe Offer
Date: 15 Feb 12 - 12:06 AM

It's hard to find this one because there are so many songs with similar titles. The actual title of the Jim McLean song is "Smile in Your Sleep," but you'll have more luck finding it if you search for Time to be sleeping (click).

-Joe-

Subject: RE: Origin: Smile in Your Sleep (Jim McLean)
From: ranger1
Date: 15 Feb 12 - 12:31 AM

North Sea Gas recorded it as Hush,Hush and didn't do their homework. They listed it as traditional, instead of correctly attributing it to Jim McLean.

Subject: RE: Origin: Smile in Your Sleep (Jim McLean)
From: Jim McLean
Date: 15 Feb 12 - 04:28 AM

Smile in your sleep
This is the correct version of the melody to my song. The melody George posted is only for the chorus.
I based my song on the pipe version of Mist Covered Mountains of Home which is different in the second part to Chi Mi Na Morbheanna.
Listen to the Corries.