Terry and Freda: How nice to see you both! I thought that was the two of you over there in the corner.

A humorous remembrance. Many, many years ago in a country called Pittsburgh, they held a regular Ceilidh. One night, a young man got up to sing that wonderful Arms-akimbo, Aran Sweater, lusty-voiced song with the chorus, Tima rideo, Tima rideay.. I don't remember the name of it any more... You know, the "I crack my whip and I bring the blood." The Makem Brothers, hands on hips song. This was a young kid who didn't know from nothing... a farm kid. When he got up, he sang the song draggingly slow and irritated the Hell out of everyone... oh yeah, It's Kilgarry Mountain. When he finished he was immediately attacked for doing the song so slowly. I mean, it's supposed to be done fast, with arms akimbo! But this was a farm kid who didn't know nothin' about arms akimbo. But he knew oxen. He asked, "You ever seen oxen move?" They don't gallop like horses. They move real slow." And the song made sense the way that he did it.

Reminds me of the lines from Mountaineer's Courtship:

"Oh what will you bring to the wedding, the wedding, the wedding
Oh what will you bring to the wedding, my dear old batchelor boy?

I think I'll bring my ox sled, my ox sled, my ox sled
I think I'll bring my ox sled, that is if the weather is good

Why don't you bring your buggy, your buggy, your buggy?
Oh why don't you bring your buggy, my dear old batchelor boy

My ox won't work with the buggy, the buggy, the buggy
My ox won't work with the buggy, 'cause I never seen 'em trot."

Sometimes, a song reveals itself just by placing it in the right rhythm and time.

Jerry