Lyr Req: Men of the north

Subject: Lyr Req: Men of the north
From: GUEST,Fast eddy
Date: 13 Sep 03 - 05:48 PM

This song I heard by a guy called Andy Ramage who seems to work in Denmark, I think he must have written it,appears to be about the oil rig workers in Aiberdeen

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Men of the north
From: GUEST,SallyP
Date: 13 Sep 03 - 06:28 PM

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Men of the north
From: GUEST,SallyP
Date: 13 Sep 03 - 06:31 PM

Try Arthur Johnstone's albums

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Men of the north
From: Joe Offer
Date: 13 Sep 03 - 06:35 PM

Hmmm. I wonder if the song you're seeking could be Men of Worth (click).
-Joe Offer-

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Men of the north
From: Susanne (skw)
Date: 14 Sep 03 - 07:11 PM

Not this time, Joe. I suppose Fast Eddy is referring to a song with the refrain
The men o' the North, they're a' gan gyte
They're a' gan gyte thegither O
I've got a recording of it by The Laggan, with Arthur Johnstone singing the lead (on 'I Am the Common Man', 1980). They credit it to Sheila Douglas. The lyrics are in Sheila's book 'The Sang's The Thing', and I'll copy them out for you one of these nights. She doesn't say which tune she used, and I haven't listened to that tape for ages, but I seem to remember the tune seemed quite close to the Roving Ploughboy one.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Men of the north
From: Dita
Date: 15 Sep 03 - 08:31 AM

I think your on the right track Suzanne.

Andy Ramage was a member of Bitter Withy, who were contempories of the Laggan on the Scottish folk scene. Leslie Hale and Tich Frier were the other members.

Andy then went on to play with a box player called Neil as a duo for a number of years. At this point the memory fails me for the band name or Neil's surname.

Cheers, John.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Men of the north
From: GUEST,Fasteddy
Date: 15 Sep 03 - 06:31 PM

Suzanne.. yes thats the song..it's the gin gyte bit that gets me..hell knows what that means...and I'm a Jock! but I know a teuchter ..he'll know...they don't speak English up there ..they sing! a strange sound it is too!!

John..Thanks for the info ..I didn't know of the Bitter Withy connection but I remember Tich Frier....not last week ...EH?
Cheers Eddy

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Men of the north
From: Strupag
Date: 16 Sep 03 - 09:18 AM

Andy's duo with big Neil was called Harness They used to do gigs in the Argyle Hotel in Ullapool.
Sadly big Neil died a few years ago. John Watt pays him a nice tribute in his latest album here

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Men of the north
From: Jim McLean
Date: 16 Sep 03 - 09:55 AM

'gan gyte' means to co grazy or mad! Incidentally I recorded an LP by the Bitter Withy, on NEVIS, in the early 70s, I think. I sent Lesley Hale the master tape some months ago but I never heard if she received it or not.

Subject: Lyr Add: THE MEN O' THE NORTH (Sheila Douglas)
From: Susanne (skw)
Date: 16 Sep 03 - 05:53 PM

THE MEN O' THE NORTH
(Sheila Douglas)

Chorus:
Oh the men o' the north are aa gane gyte
Are aa gane gyte thegither O
As the derricks rise tae the Northern skies
The past is gane forever O

As I cam in by Peterheid
I saw it changing sairly O
For the tankers grey stand in the bay
And the oil is flowing rarely O

The lads frae the Broch hae left the fairm
Aff tae the rigs they're rushing O
For ye get mair pay for an oil-man's day
So they heedna the plough or the fishin O

I met wi a man fae Aiberdeen
That city aye sae bonnie O
He said there's a spree by the dark North Sea
And an affa smell o' money O

What wad ye gie for the gowden sand
The whaup's cry in the morning O
The rowan fair an the caller air
An the tide as it's gently turnin O

(from: Sheila Douglas (ed.), The Sang's The Thing. Scottish folk, Scottish history. Polygon, Edinburgh 1992, p 54. The spelling is entirely hers.)