Lyr Req: Orkney Anthem, by Ivan Drever

Subject: Lyr Req: Orkney Anthem, by Ivan Drever
From: GUEST,DK
Date: 28 Nov 04 - 08:44 PM

There are a few words I can't make out from the recording I have and I can't find ANY of his songs posted on the internet. Go figure, he has a bunch of good ones. Any help, would be appreciated.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Orkney Anthem, by Ivan Drever
From: Jim Dixon
Date: 30 Nov 04 - 08:33 AM

ORKNEY ANTHEM appears on Ivan Drever's album "The Orkney Years, Vol. 1".

It is also on a DVD: "A Long December Night by Ivan Drever & Duncan Chisholm.

The band Hullion performs it on their album "Orkney 2000 - Music In Time"

Christina Harrison sings it on her album "Lassie Wi' The Lint-white Locks". You can download a generous 2-1/2-minute mp3 file at the website of The Ruglen Record Company.

Nickie Willis sings it on her album "While the Heart Beats in Me." You can hear a 29-second sound sample at that site.

A youth group called Hadhirgaan recorded it. You can hear or download their complete 5-minute recording at a site belonging to The St. Andrew's Society of Winnipeg.

It should be possible to make a transcription from that, but I hope someone more adept with the Scots idiom will attempt it before I do. If you do get the lyrics, please post them here.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Orkney Anthem, by Ivan Drever
From: Ed.
Date: 30 Nov 04 - 04:27 PM

I should be able to help you with this, but most frustratingly can't right now.

Somewhere, I have an Ivan Drever CD "Isles Ne'er Forgotten" (it was given away as a promotion by Highland Park Whisky). It includes 'Orkney Anthem' and all the lyrics are included on the insert. If you'll give me a few days (I have a really busy week), I'll do my best to locate the CD, and type up the words for you.

Ed
(who used to have all his CDs immaculately organised...)

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Orkney Anthem, by Ivan Drever
From: GUEST,DK
Date: 01 Dec 04 - 01:38 PM

Excellent! I look forward to /seeing/ the words, whenever you have a chance to send/post them.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Orkney Anthem, by Ivan Drever
From: McGrath of Harlow
Date: 01 Dec 04 - 01:45 PM

I take it this isn't "Bloody Orkney"...

Subject: Lyr Add: ORKNEY ANTHEM (Ivan Drever)
From: Tattie Bogle
Date: 01 Dec 04 - 03:10 PM

Definitely NO!! According to the insert in a CD called "Generations" by "Three Peace Sweet",an Orcadian group, (Phil Anderson/Andy Cant/Stewart Shearer) "Bloody Orkney" was written by "an unknown serviceman disenchanted with his posting to Orkney during the 2nd WW". Good song though!

"The Orkney Anthem"                               by Ivan Drever

Tae the reek o' the rushing tideways
Tae the fling o' their froth and foam
Tae the spouting hedge by the iron ledge
O' skerry and reef and holm.

Chorus:
Isles ne'er forgotten
Be your sons afar alone
Or ring-ed they be by their ain native sea,
Waes hale they drink to their own.

Tae the brochs o' the forgotten builders
Each howe wi' its spectral wraith,
Tae the ruins hoar by the ancient shore
O' the kirks o' the ancient faith.
Isles.........

Tae the ribbon rocks rims around them
Tae stack and skerry and geo       (hard g in geo)
Tae the cliffs piled high wi' their heads in the sky
And their feet in the surge below,
Isles...........



BTW this was written for the Orkney "our Town" presentation in the Millennium Dome in April 2000. Got the words from a book of tunes I bought from the the Orkney Traditional Music Project. Is there anyone in Orkney who DOESN'T play either accordion or fiddle?

How do I know all this? I went to Orkney for my holidays last June! What a fantastically interesting place, even if it was the coldest summer holiday I've ever had!

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Orkney Anthem, by Ivan Drever
From: Ed.
Date: 01 Dec 04 - 06:34 PM

Thanks, Tattie Bogle for adding these (saves me a job!)

Your comment that this was written for the Orkney "our Town" presentation in the Millennium Dome in April 2000 is however incorrect. The song is at least 10 years old.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Orkney Anthem, by Ivan Drever
From: Tattie Bogle
Date: 01 Dec 04 - 07:07 PM

Sorry Ed:this info was copied from the said book from OTMP: perhaps they meant to say it was "sung at" rather than "written for"! Come to think of it, a couple of my friends have been singing it for quite a while, probably long before the Millennium!

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Orkney Anthem, by Ivan Drever
From: GUEST,Calum
Date: 10 Dec 04 - 08:36 PM

Hi,

there are three verses above, and as far as i know there should be five altogether. i sing four of them, and one of the ones above (the final one quoted, but the first on ivan drever's version), is the one i miss out. don't actually have time to type out the full lyrics the now, but will do soon i promise as the lyrics don't appear to be available in full anywhere on the web!

as far as i can gather the lyrics were written around the turn of the 19th/20th century by one Thomas E Peace, probably from Kirkwall, as a poem, but was put to music by Ivan in the seventies (?) and the Knowe O' Deill band recorded it at Owen Tiernie's place in Finstown (i think).

I have a version of it on my CD coming out sometime next year (summer 2005 maybe?), which i am sure you're all champing at the bit for! That's not a plug by the way, it'd only be a plug if i mentioned my website at http://calumsmusic.netfirms.com/ !

Seriously, i promise to post all 5 verses as soon as i can.

Subject: Lyr Add: WAES HALE (ORKNEY ANTHEM) (Ivan Drever)
From: GUEST,Calum again
Date: 11 Dec 04 - 12:35 PM

The following is the whole five verses. The final four verses don't quite correspond with Ivan's version, but that's how they were given to me, sadly i have never seen the original poem, so i am not sure who's right or wrong where they differ. Good luck...

Waes Hale (The Orkney Anthem) -

1. (the verse i don't sing)
Tae the ribbon rocks rims around them
Tae stack and skerry and geo
Tae the cliffs piled high wi' their heads in the sky
And their feet in the surge below,

Chorus:
Isles ne'er forgotten
By your sons afar alone
Ringed they be by their ain native sea
Waes hale! They drink tae their own

2.
Fae the reek o' the rushing tideways
Tae the fling o' froth and foam
The spouting hedge by the iron ledge
O' skerry and reef and holm

3.
Fae the feet o' the bright aurora
That danced tae the elfin lyres
The gleams that break in the midnight wake
Tae the blaze o' the Beltane fires

4.
Fae the rocks o' forgotten builders
Each howe wi' its spectral wraith
The roo winds hoar on the Northern shore
Fae the kirks o' the ancient faith

5.
Spirit haunted and hallowed
Wi' rune-writ legend strewn
Isles o' the North, we call now forth
Waes hale, we drink tae wir own

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Orkney Anthem, by Ivan Drever
From: Tattie Bogle
Date: 13 Dec 04 - 07:54 PM

Thanks for that, Calum. Sounds more like what's on the CD than what's in the book I copied it from!
Have also ventured into your website and downloads: some good stuff there!
TB

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Orkney Anthem, by Ivan Drever
From: GUEST
Date: 29 Dec 04 - 10:51 AM

thanks! glad you enjoyed it!

i've since added some more traditional type downloads, including a (very) rough first run through of waes hale, and some time next summer (i hope!) the proper CD with my own full studio version etc will be available through the site.

Sorry! i sound like a TV evangelist! i just wouldn't want people to miss it if they'd like to hear *yet* another version of the song!! :-)

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Orkney Anthem, by Ivan Drever
From: michaelr
Date: 29 Dec 04 - 08:34 PM

As a side note, I just read a book called "Wolfskin" by the wonderful Juliet Marillier (author of the Sevenwaters trilogy) about the Viking invasion of Orkney. Highly recommended!

Cheers,
Michael