Help: 'The Wild Geese' Siller Tides?

Subject: 'The Wild Geese' Siller Tides?
From: DonMeixner
Date: 17 Apr 02 - 09:44 PM

I have recently discovered this song and it is greatly effecting. (Probably another Streets of London to some ) What are the Siller Tides mentioned in the song. And ofvcourse I love the chords.

Don

Subject: RE: Help: 'The Wild Geese' Siller Tides?
From: nutty
Date: 18 Apr 02 - 01:42 AM

I would suggest "silver tides" ( as the light catches the ripples of the sea, perhaps) although, without seeing the phrase in the context of the words, it's difficult to be certain.

Subject: RE: Help: 'The Wild Geese' Siller Tides?
From: Malcolm Douglas
Date: 18 Apr 02 - 05:26 AM

Of a number of modern songs with similar titles, this one is Jim Reid's Wild Geese. Siller is, as Nutty suggests, just a Scots form of Silver.

Subject: RE: Help: 'The Wild Geese' Siller Tides?
From: GUEST,malinky steve
Date: 18 Apr 02 - 06:57 PM

The words of this are by a woman called Violet Jacob, and indeed siller tides are waves of the silver-coloured variety. The poem was written around 1915, and appeared in Jacob's book 'Songs of Angus'. Jim Reid (Dundee-born, now living in Letham, Angus, used to play with the famous Foundry Bar Band)put it to music in the 1970s along with other poems by Jacob (a member of the aristocratic Erskine family of the House of Dun, near Montrose, Angus) , Marion Angus (from Arbroath), and Helen B. Cruickshank (from Hillside, near to Montrose). His record 'I saw the wild geese flee' was released on Springthyme Records, (in Kingskettle, Fife, Scotland) with ;The Wild Geese' and Cruickshank's 'Shy Geordie' appearing. This is now available on CD, as are Jim's two own-label recordings 'The Better o' a Sang', and 'Emfae Dundee'. A fantastic singer.

Subject: RE: Help: 'The Wild Geese' Siller Tides?
From: Malcolm Douglas
Date: 18 Apr 02 - 08:40 PM

Thanks for that additional information, Steve. Unfortunately, lyric credits weren't given in the earlier thread I linked to.

Subject: RE: Help: 'The Wild Geese' Siller Tides?
From: DonMeixner
Date: 18 Apr 02 - 11:46 PM

Thanks for all the info. Great song, found an MP3 of Jim Reid singing it. Good stuff.

Don

Subject: RE: Help: 'The Wild Geese' Siller Tides?
From: Kernow John
Date: 19 Apr 02 - 03:24 PM

I can recommend Jeannie Redpath's version as well
KJ

Subject: RE: Help: 'The Wild Geese' Siller Tides?
From: GUEST,susanne (skw), still on holiday
Date: 27 Apr 02 - 09:59 AM

Check out Cilla Fisher s version, from her album with husband Artie Trezise, Cilla & Artie (1978.)

Subject: RE: Help: 'The Wild Geese' Siller Tides?
From: GUEST,andymac
Date: 27 Apr 02 - 05:02 PM

Also check out the version recently recorded by Geordie McIntyre on Rowan in the Rock.

Subject: RE: Help: 'The Wild Geese' Siller Tides?
From: GUEST,Domhnail Mhic 'il Iosa
Date: 28 Aug 09 - 08:03 PM

Sadly, Jim Reid died on 6 July 2009

Subject: RE: Help: 'The Wild Geese' Siller Tides?
From: Backwoodsman
Date: 29 Aug 09 - 03:02 AM

Very sad. RIP.

BTW, another fine version of this magical song on The Battlefield Band's album 'Rain, Hail or Shine'. On the album it's renamed 'Norland Wind' and is included as the song within a wonderful set of tunes, 'Magheraclone', 'The Royal Scottish Pipers Society', 'Gardez Loo' and 'Donald MacLean'. The song is sung by the brilliant and very sadly missed Davy Steele. A real neck-hair-prickler. Give it a listen, you won't regret it.

TBB's sleeve notes say-
"The Norland Wind was originally a poem entitled 'The Wild Geese' written in 1915 by the great Angus poet Violet Jacob, who was one of the finest Scots language writers this century. The poem was set to music by Jim Reid and included as the title song on his fine album 'I Saw The Wild Geese Flee' (on Springthyme SPRCD 1015). Lovely words and a beautiful tune."

Amen.

Subject: RE: Help: 'The Wild Geese' Siller Tides?
From: GUEST,jennyblain
Date: 30 Nov 12 - 03:31 PM

I just saw this when googling for the words of the poem - the 'siller tides' are not only water but herring and sprat which were very plentiful and which turned the water of the Firth of Forth 'silver'.

Subject: RE: Help: 'The Wild Geese' Siller Tides?
From: Jack Campin
Date: 30 Nov 12 - 04:47 PM

You don't get herring or similar fish in the Forth, at least not in enough numbers to form a "tide", and you wouldn't have done 100 years ago when Jacob was writing. The actual tides are extreme, though - they "fall and rise" about 4 metres and make navigation very difficult.