Lyr Req: 'Isla Waters' and 'Donald MacGillavry'

Subject: Lyrics Req.: Andy M. Stewart Tunes
From: Jeff Sherman
Date: 10 Feb 97 - 12:06 AM

I'm looking for the lyrics(and chords if anybody knows them right off hand) for a couple of Andy M. Stewart songs. The songs are "Isla Waters" and "Donald Mcgillavry". Both are on the Silly Wizard "Best of" album. I own this album but cna not for the life of me dig through Andy's accent and get a translation that makes any sense. Also, if anybodt knows any historical background for these songs(who was Donald Mcgillavry?What are Isla Waters?) or any other Andy M. Stewart songs, I'd love to see that too.

Thanks, Jeff Sherman

Subject: RE: Lyrics Req.: Andy M. Stewart Tunes
From: Susan of DT
Date: 10 Feb 97 - 07:26 PM

Donald MacGillavry is in the Digital Tradition

Subject: RE: Lyrics Req.: Andy M. Stewart Tunes
From: Alex
Date: 11 Feb 97 - 12:16 AM

Donald MacGillivry is a Jacobite song (i.e. the movement to restore the Stuart line to the throne of Scotland) in 1715. The Isla is a river which runs through Andy's native Blairgowrie in Perthshire and eventually empties into the River Tay.

Subject: RE: Lyrics Req.: Andy M. Stewart Tunes
From: Priscilla Wintermute
Date: 11 Feb 97 - 07:07 PM

According to Ewan MacColl in his Folk Songs and Ballads of Scotland, "James Hogg in his 'Jacobite Relics' places this song as belonging to one of the Jacobite risings, either in 1715, or 1745. MacGillavry of Drumglass is one of the chiefs mentioned in the Chevalier's Muster Roll of 1715, and in the Forty-Five rebellion the powerful clan MacIntosh was led by a Colonel MacGillavry. A bard belonging to this clan may well have written the song; on the other hand, the name might have been used as a convenient designation for loyal highlanders."

The chords to Donald Macgillavry as given by MacColl are: Em, D, Em, Am, G, D (twice). As Susan of DT points out the words are available in the database. Can't help on Isla Water.

Subject: RE: Lyrics Req.: Andy M. Stewart Tunes
From: Priscilla Wintermute
Date: 12 Feb 97 - 04:55 PM

I just found a great site for anyone interested in Silly Wizard. The address is: www.mindspring.com/~c.walters/swlyrics.html

I don't think there's anything official going on here, because a lot of the lyrics are incomplete, as if they were transcribed from the recordings, but they sure get you a lot closer than you might get yourself! And guess what? Isla Waters is there, albeit incomplete. It looks like whoever is running the site is trying to provide lyrics to all SW's songs. Have fun.

Subject: RE: Lyrics Req.: Andy M. Stewart Tunes
From: Silly Wizard Site
Date: 12 Feb 97 - 05:03 PM

OOPS, forgive me: Thats ~cwalters (without the period). Sorry.

Subject: Lyr Add: ISLA WATERS (from Silly Wizard)
From:
Date: 13 Feb 97 - 08:56 PM

From a highly copied version of a much-passed-around manuscript called Fouk that I have, the Lyrics to Isla Waters by Silly Wizard are as follows:

ISLA WATERS

I have funds tae buy me whiskey
Monie funds tae call my ain
But if I should get to fu' o' water
Wha's the man that would carry me hame?

CHORUS: And if I be dround in the Isla Waters
Hou the deuce would I win Hame?
If I be drounk in the Isla Waters
My wee doggie would find me in the Isla stream.

Ilka day I cross that water
Aye she's brackent wi' the sea
But if there is o' ale-hous laughter
Daurk an' still she waits on me. CHORUS

Like the fisher's line that's brawken
Leaves the salmon tae the swell
Monie's the nicht ye'll fan' me souken
But ye brak the line yersel. CHORUS

Aa' my days I've lived the quarter
Baud and bonnie fine stuff I've seen
But should I droun in your water
My wee doggie would find me in the Isla Stream. CHORUS

I do have other Silly Wizard transcriptions, and would happily give them out, as Andy Stewart does not always have the easiest to understand accent. There is currently a problem with my email, but I can be reached at [e-mail].

HTML line breaks added. --JoeClone, 3-May-03.

Subject: RE: Lyrics Req.: Andy M. Stewart Tunes
From:
Date: 14 Feb 97 - 11:27 AM

As I was reviewing this message, I realized my bad typing had snagged me again. The first line in the chourus is "If I be drounk", not what ever I managed to type previously. I have also found my notes on the history of Isla Waters. Forgive any typos. These are copied sleeve notes from Silly Wizards's Caledonia's Hardy Sons album., the vinyl version. "This song was composed by Martin and Andy around a fragment sung by Andy's grandfather, who was born in Glen Isla in 1900. It tells of a crofter whose life was made difficult by the fact that his local "ale hoose" was across the river from his croft, but miles from the nearest bridge. Crossing to the inn on stepping stones was easy enough in daylight when sober, but returnig after a night of song and powerful whiskey was an entirely different matter."

Hope this helps. Catfeet.

Subject: RE: Lyrics Req.: Andy M. Stewart Tunes
From:
Date: 12 Mar 97 - 07:36 PM

I would like the lyrics and chords to The Blackbird of Sweet Avondale.

Subject: RE: Lyrics Req.: Andy M. Stewart Tunes
From:
Date: 12 Mar 97 - 10:17 PM

The Silly Wizard site previously mentioned in this thread has the lyrics. You might try posting on the list at that site for the chords.

Catfeet

Subject: RE: Lyrics Req.: Andy M. Stewart Tunes
From: Bo
Date: 19 Mar 97 - 03:58 AM

I cant get the url address for the Silly Wizard site to work, can someone repost or check it for me?

bo

tnx

Subject: RE: Lyrics Req.: Andy M. Stewart Tunes
From:
Date: 22 Mar 97 - 08:05 PM

Re the lyrics to"Isla Waters" by Silly Wizard, someone sggested that " my wee doggy would find me in the Isla stream" The actual words are Highway Duggie... an old Scottish name for the devil!!

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: 'Isla Waters' and 'Donald MacGillivry'
From: GUEST,jscolburn at comcast period net
Date: 06 Nov 08 - 05:05 AM

This was posted over to IRTRAD in 9/04, and I noted the following there from what I've been hearing:

-- verse 1, line 1-2: "friends" rather than "funds"
-- verse 1, line 2: "call my name" rather than "call my ain"
-- verse 1, line 3: "too fu' for walkin'" rather than "too fu' o' water"
-- verse 2, line 2: "Ay, she's bricht an' clear tae see"
-- verse 2, line 3: "But after hours o' ale-hoose laughter"

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: 'Isla Waters' and 'Donald MacGillivry'
From: GUEST,big tim
Date: 06 Nov 08 - 11:38 AM

Two great songs.

On a geographical point, the river that flows through Blairgowrie is the Ericht. It is a tributary of the beautiful River Isla into which it flows at Barnyhill, a few miles east of Blairgowrie (where, incidentally, Hamish Henderson was born).

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: 'Isla Waters' and 'Donald MacGillivry'
From: GUEST,Jonathan Kemp
Date: 08 Mar 10 - 11:37 AM

James Hogg wrote "Donald MacGillavry" as he explains in his book "Songs by the Ettrick Shepherd". While it therefore isn't contemporary to the '15 or '45 risings it is still a great song.

See p90:
http://books.google.co.uk/books?id=eM8WVlsIxzgC

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: 'Isla Waters' and 'Donald MacGillavry'
From: GUEST,Igor
Date: 27 Mar 10 - 05:46 AM

So is it "my wee doggie" or "Highway Duggie"?

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: 'Isla Waters' and 'Donald MacGillavry'
From: Jim Dixon
Date: 28 Mar 10 - 10:12 PM

There are several other threads about the song DONALD MACGILLAVRY:

Look here: Lyr Req: Donald Macgillavry (Silly Wizard) —and then follow the links to other threads, if you're interested.

To avoid confusion, let's keep this thread confined to ISLA WATERS. Please go to one of the other threads if you want to discuss DONALD MACGILLAVRY.

By the way, there's another thread about ISLA WATERS, too, but there isn't much information there: Lyr Req: The Isla Waters (A Stewart & M Hadden).

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: 'Isla Waters' and 'Donald MacGillavry'
From: maple_leaf_boy
Date: 28 Mar 10 - 10:58 PM

It should read Dunmaglas rather than Drumglas.
It is the headquarters of Clan MacGillivray, as well as their slogan.