I'm wanting to sing the Robert Louis Stevenson version of the Skye Boat song at a gathering, but don't want to sing the same tune as the standard version which I think has a melody by Annie Macleod?

I've heard the first of the R.L. Stevenson poem sung to a slightly different tune and then the singer slid into the more well known tune and lyrics. It worked well. However I want to sing the whole thing in the alternative tune, but don't know where to find it - or even if this was a tune that the performers came up with themselves. I only ever seem to find the usual/common version.

The alternative is on youtube here (scroll across to 1:28 as they do a bit of talking first)

The R.L. Stevenson poem/song is sometimes called Sing me a song of a lad that is gone but is also known as Over the sea to Skye which adds to the confusion.

Sing me a song of a lad that is gone,
   Say, could that lad be I?
Merry of soul he sailed on a day
   Over the sea to Skye.
Mull was astern, Rum on the port,
   Eigg on the starboard bow;
Glory of youth glowed in his soul;
   Where is that glory now?

Sing me a song of a lad that is gone,
   Say, could that lad be I?
Merry of soul he sailed on a day
   Over the sea to Skye.

Give me again all that was there
   Give me the sun that shone!
Give me the eyes, give me the soul,
   Give me the lad that's gone!

Sing me a song of a lad that is gone,
   Say, could that lad be I?
Merry of soul he sailed on a day
   Over the sea to Skye.

Billow and breeze, islands and seas,
   Mountains of rain and sun,
All that was good, all that was fair,
   All that was me is gone.


Allie