Lyr Req: Gala Water (from Battlefield Band etc.)

Subject: Lyrics to Gala Waters
From: Sean Paddington
Date: 14 May 98 - 05:08 PM

Hi, I have two versions of this song, one by the Battlefield Band and one by Ossian and the words are indecipherable in both versions. Can anyone help me?

Sean

Subject: Lyr Add: GALA WATER
From: John Nolan
Date: 15 May 98 - 05:19 PM

Braw, braw lads o' Gala Water
Bonnie lads o' Gala Water;
I'll kilt my coats abune my knee,
And follow my love through the water.
Braw, braw lads.

Lothian lads are black as deils,
And Selkirk lads are no much better,
I'll kilt my coat abune my knee,
And follow the lad o Gala Water.
Braw, braw lad.

It's ower the moss and doon yon glen,
And ower the bonnie blooming heather,
Nicht or day he bears the gree,
The bonnie lad o' Gala Water.
Braw, braw lad.

Corn rigs are fine and bonnie,
A block o' sheep is muckle better,
The wind will shake a field of oats,
While lambs are friskin' in Gala Water.
Braw, braw lads.

Adieu, soor plooms o' Galashiels,
Tae you, my faither, here's a letter,
It's I'm awa wi' the black herd lad,
To bide wi' him in Gala Water.
Braw, braw lads.

Subject: RE: Lyrics to Gala Waters
From: Sean Paddington
Date: 15 May 98 - 08:45 PM

Thanks John Nolan. How did you do that?

Subject: RE: Lyrics to Gala Waters
From: John Nolan
Date: 15 May 98 - 11:08 PM

1. I grew up in the Borders, and sung this song (Galashiels), and others like Jethart's Here (Jedburgh), Queen o' a' the Border (Hawick) and James Hogg's Teribus ye Teri Odin (Hawick) at the annual common ridings.
2. Ewan MacColl printed this version in Folk Songs and Ballads of Scotland in 1965.

Subject: RE: Lyrics to Gala Waters
From: Bruce O.
Date: 16 May 98 - 01:25 PM

The version above is that from the singing of Betsy Miller (Ewan MacColl's mother) on Folk-Lyric FL 116.

Subject: RE: Lyrics to Gala Waters
From:
Date: 16 May 98 - 06:07 PM

The Toronto band, or former Toronto band, The Stringband, also did a version of this on their Live LP.

Subject: RE: Lyrics to Gala Waters
From: Will
Date: 16 May 98 - 08:23 PM

Hi, Tim. Which song on the Stringband Live album is it? I've got the vinyl (or, rather, my cohabitant does), but no turntable. The most likely looks to be the St. Kilda' Medley.

By the way, it's nice to see a reference to Stringband. They did great music and had a real impact on Canadian music. Also Canadian humour (It used to be fun to watch someone listen to "Show me the length" for the first time). But I've got to admit that I was taken aback to see it refered to as a "Toronto" band. It was wonderful music partly because the music cut across a bunch of Canadian ideas and themes.

I did check the vinyl, though, and all five albums that I've got were recorded in Toronto. And they did start in Toronto, so you've got some truth on your side ... (just not the true truth).

Bob Bossin has a page (http://www.island.net/~oldfolk/) with some nice history of the group. His version of the Stringband identity is that the group was about "collecting, writing and playing music that we thought expressed the concerns, humour and cussedness of people from St. John's to Tofino to Tuktoyaktuk." Now, I like Toronto just as much as anyone from B.C., but my misplaced west coast soul refuses to believe that a Toronto band could do that. Besides, Bob Bossin lives on Gabriola Island, which is about as far from Toronto as one can get.

Subject: RE: Lyrics to Gala Waters
From:
Date: 18 May 98 - 10:04 PM

I didn't know there were two Stringband Live albums, but I referred to the tenth anniversary one which is not with me as I type this in my office. I think it is part of the St. Kilda's Medley, as it starts with a fiddle piece.

You should scrounge up a turntable. I finally found one and now I can listen to my old LP's that aren't out on CD. I don't believe this particular one is.

I believe they were based out of Toronto, although I don't know where the band members came from originally. I think the lady was French Canadian.