Lyr Req: Cape Breton Lullaby (Kenneth Leslie)

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Cape Breton Lullaby (Kenneth Leslie)
From: GUEST,guest
Date: 09 Oct 11 - 08:07 PM

what is cape breton lullaby song about?
when did they wrote it?

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Cape Breton Lullaby (Kenneth Leslie)
From:
Date: 30 Jun 08 - 07:28 PM

Guest, Glad we could help!.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Cape Breton Lullaby (Kenneth Leslie)
From: GUEST
Date: 30 Jun 08 - 06:48 PM

I used to sing this in choir 15 years ago, I had forgoten some of the lyrics, but I've never forgotten the melody, I've been searching for these lyrics for years

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Cape Breton Lullaby
From: Sandy Mc Lean
Date: 08 Jan 08 - 08:51 AM

Jim, my info source on this is Allister MacGillivray's Cape Breton Song Collection. As well as the lyrics and sheet music there is a short biographical sketch of Leslie,with information supplied by his daughter Rosaleen. The copyright mark just shows R. Dickson and I assume that "R" stands for Rosaleen.
Yeh, ain't Buddy great!
          Sandy

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Cape Breton Lullaby
From: Jim Lad
Date: 07 Jan 08 - 11:46 PM

So he wrote the song in 1937 then?
Bugger.
Some people just stick around forever.
So Sandy.
When I looked up the owner of the copyright, several months ago, it was some guy in Quebec, with a different surname.
Any idea why?
p.s. I see somebody's posted a nice video of Buddy, further up.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Cape Breton Lullaby
From: Sandy Mc Lean
Date: 07 Jan 08 - 07:11 PM

Sorry Jim, but Ken Leslie passed away October 6, 1974.
Copyright is owned by R.Dickson, 530 King St., Shawville, Quebec.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Cape Breton Lullaby
From: Jim Lad
Date: 07 Jan 08 - 06:41 PM

So here's a thing. One of the earlier posts remarked that this song is still under copy right.
Not according to my research. By Canadian copyright laws, the copyright expires 50 years after the death of the author. He died in 1937, if I remember correctly, which means that the copyrights expired the year before this thread was posted.
To do the chorus in English

Sleep 'ti the day laddie
La Laddie
Sleep the moon away.

Sleep the stars away

and finally

Sleep the dark away.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Cape Breton Lullaby
From: Sandy Mc Lean
Date: 07 Jan 08 - 06:38 PM

I'll cross reference to another thread:
Detail.CFM?messages__Message_ID=443727

Atlantic Lullaby is a totally different song and it was not recorded by Hank Snow. However it has been recorded by George Hamilton IV, Dick Nolan, and Mac Wiseman.
   By coincidence I sang Atlantic Lullaby in public only yesterday.
                               Sandy

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Cape Breton Lullaby
From: Saro
Date: 07 Jan 08 - 05:20 PM

Bread and Roses recorded this song in the 80's, having been given the Cape Breton Song Book by members of a group called Scumalash, who recommended that we should learn the song. We taught the harmonies to various people at harmony workshops, and it was always a great favourite of ours. I later recorded it again with Hen Party, and it was favourite then as well. A most beautiful song, even if we almost certainly pronounced the gaelic refrain incorrectly!! Sorry...
Saro

Subject: Lyrics of the song "A Lullabye" by Teresa Doyle
From: GUEST,Louis MANISIER, France
Date: 07 Jan 08 - 03:35 PM

Hi,
I live in France et it's not easy to get Lyrics of English-Celtic songs. For exemple the one by Teresa Doyle "A Lullabye". Thanks for your help.

Louis

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Cape Breton Lullaby
From: Sandy Mc Lean
Date: 06 Apr 05 - 05:04 AM

Refresh:
   This old thread answers some questions on an active one.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Cape Breton Lullaby
From:
Date: 24 Apr 03 - 12:41 AM

learning to sing this in choir, have words both english and gaelic... john

Subject: Lyr/Chords Add: CAPE BRETON LULLABY (K Leslie)
From: GUEST,John Rose
Date: 22 May 01 - 02:30 AM

I used to hum this song to my kids when they were "wee bairns". It chokes me up just to read the lyrics.

Whenever I've heard it, the line "Caidil gu la laddie, la, laddie" sounds like "caw jeer gu low, laddie, low laddie".

My favourite recorded version is definitely the one by Ryan's Fancy, with Denis Ryan's tenor.

Also, I just found this - "Poems of Kenneth Leslie" http://webhome.idirect.com/~arthurgw/kenneth/kenneth_intro.html . Unfortunately, the only part missing is the scan of the sheet music for "Cape Breton Lullaby".

The following is copied from the afore-mentioned "Cape Breton Song Collection", which is open in my lap as I type.

---------------------------------------------
CAPE BRETON LULLABY
by Kenneth Leslie
(c) R. Dickson, 530 King St., Shawville, Quebec

Driftwood is burning blue, wild walk the wall shadows,
Night winds go riding by, riding by the lochie meadows.
On to the ring of day flows Myra's stream singing:
Caidil gu la laddie, la, laddie, *
Sleep the stars away.

Far on Beinn Bhreagh's side wander the lost lambies.
Here, there and ev'rywhere, ev'rywhere their troubled mammies
Find them and fold them deep, fold them to sleep singing:
Caidil gu la laddie, la, laddie,
Sleep the moon away.

Daddy is on the bay. He'll keep the pot brewin',
Keep all from tumblin' down, tumblin' down to rack and ruin.
Pray Mary send him home safe from the foam singing:
Caidil gu la laddie, la, laddie,
Sleep the dark away.

* - ( "Caidil Gu La" or "Caidil Gu Law (Latha)" is the title of a fiddle tune which has been published in The Fraser Collection. One translation given to this Scottish Gaelic phrase is "Sleep On Till Day".)

"Cape Breton Lullaby" may be heard on the following records:
- Catherine McKinnon, "The Voice of An Angel" Arc A-628
- Ryan's Fancy, "Looking Back" Audat 477-9015
- "The Rise and Follies of Cape Breton (1)" CCBP 1002
- "Cape Breton's Greatest Hits", College of Cape Breton Press, CCBP 1005
- George Hamilton IV "Back to Down East Country", RCA Camden KCL-0051
--------------------------------------------

3/4 time, Moderato, (1/4note) = 104
Chords (in arrangement for piano):
[instrumental opening] Gm / Dm / C / F F7 / Bb / Eb / D / G G7
[C] Driftwood is [Bb] burning [C] blue, wild walk the [Bb] wall [Gm7] shadows,
[C] Night [C] winds [Em] go [F] riding [Am] by, [Gm] riding [C7] by the [F] lochie [C] meadows.
[Dm] On [F] to the [C/G] ring of [A] day [D] flows [D7] Myra's [G] stream [G7] singing:
[Csus4] Cai - [C] dil gu [Csus4] la [C] laddie, [Csus4] la, [C] laddie,
[Bb] Sleep the [Gm] stars a - [C] way.
----------------------
Enjoy,
-jr-
http://personal.nbnet.nb.ca/jrose/radios/radiomain.htm

Subject: RE: Cape Breton Lullaby
From: GUEST,my pseudomymn
Date: 04 Apr 01 - 08:20 PM

drift wood is burning blue
wild walk the wall shadows
night winds are riding by
riding by
the lochy meadows
on to the ring of day
flows mira stream singing

cie gier ger low laddie' low laddie
sleep the night away

daddy is on the bay
he'll keep the pot brewing
keep all from tumbling down
crumbling down
to wrack and ruin
pray mary send him home
safe from the foam singing

cie gier ger loe laddie loe laddie
sweep the dark away

down on ben breah's side
wander the lost lambies
here there and every where, everywhere
their troubled mammies
find them and fold them deep
fold them to sleep singing

cie geir ger low laddie, low laddie
dream the night away

that's how i remember it

i don't know how to spell the gaelic as i ceased to speak it from the age of about five i think only the chorus was gaelic but i do know enough to know that's not scott's gaelic--it's irish so i'm guessing the writer wasn't scottish

Subject: RE: Cape Breton Lullaby
From: radriano
Date: 03 Apr 01 - 04:43 PM

For the previous Mudcat thread with the lyrics to Breton Lullaby click below.

lullaby

My apologies if this is redundant.

Richard

Subject: RE: Cape Breton Lullaby
From: wysiwyg
Date: 02 Apr 01 - 09:11 PM

Ken first posted a request thread (for Atlantic Lullaby) and I suggested to him he look at this older thread here with the Snow item posted above. In his thread, someone else said they had Atlantic Lullaby lyrics and did he want them-- I e-mailed both that person and Ken to suggest that any new lyrics would be appreciated here. So I believe Ken is sharing the parts he knows, and apparently there are several pieces that came to mind.

~Susan

Subject: RE: Cape Breton Lullaby
From: GUEST,atlantic lullaby search
Date: 02 Apr 01 - 08:24 PM

Three songs come to mind.

MY CAPE BRETON HOME
Written I believe by Charlie McKenna

To the shores of my childhood fond memories I cling
You may talk of your countries and other lands seen
You may talk of the splendors of Italy and Rome
But they'll never compare with my Cape Breton home.

MY NOVA SCOTIA HOME
I believe written/sung by Hank Snow

There's a place I'll always cherish 'neath the blue Atlantic skies,
Where the shores down in Cape Breton bid the golden sun to rise
And the fragrance of the apple blossom sprays the sun-kissed lawn
Down in dear old Nova Scotia, the place that I call home.

THE ATLANTIC LULLABY
I believe written/sung by Hank Snow.

There's a place so dear to me
Nestled by the deep blue sea
Where the womenfolk are noted for their pies
Where the sweet mayflower grows,
It's the home of the bluenose
Where you slumber to the Atlantic lullaby.

If I could remember all the words to all the songs, I would put them here. Alas, as the shadows grow longer, the memory starts to fade.
Think hard, folks.

Ken

Line breaks added. --JoeClone

Subject: RE: Cape Breton Lullaby
From: dick greenhaus
Date: 13 Dec 98 - 09:31 AM

George- It can take a long time for corrections to find their way into the DT---We have a huge backlog of conributions, corrections and additions, and I have a limited amount of time available. Rest assured, though, they'll get there.

Subject: RE: Cape Breton Lullaby
From:
Date: 11 Dec 98 - 12:33 PM

There definitely is a song called Cape Breton Lullaby, written by Kenneth Leslie, and still under copyright. Lots of people have recorded it. Catherine MacKinnon was the first.

I look forward to hearing the gaelic version. ( A CD I just received as a gaelic version of Song For The Mira on it.)

Subject: Lyr/Chords Add: MY NOVA SCOTIA HOME (Hank Snow)
From: Dale Rose
Date: 11 Dec 98 - 01:40 AM

My Nova Scotia Home by Hank Snow sounds like it is one she was thinking of, George, though at the moment I can't recall if it was original with him, though I would rather imagine that it was. I have it on an album somewhere, but it is too recent (1959 or later) to be on my CD collection of his earlier music 1936-1958. I don't know if it would have been recorded by Catherine MacKinnon or not.

I just went to Cowpie, and found the lyrics, compliments of our own Gene Graham, no surprise, there!

MY NOVA SCOTIA HOME
Words and music by Hank Snow

CAPO: 1st fret/KEY: C#/PLAY: C
[C] There's a place I'll always cherish, 'neath the [G7] blue Atlantic sky
Where the shores down in Cape Breton bid the [C] golden sun to rise
And the fragrance of the apple [C7] blossoms [F] sprays the dew-kissed lawns
Back in [C] dear old Nova Scotia, [G7] a place where I was [C] born.

The Scotian and the Ocean Limited, and the Maritime Express
Their mighty engines throbbing, make their way towards the west
And the sturdy fishin' schooners, sways so laz'ly to and fro
Nova Scotia is my sanctuary, and I love her so.

Change to D:
For across the great Dominion, I have traveled far and wide
Where the shores out in Vancouver, kiss the blue Pacific tide
I have crossed the snow-capped Rockies, saw the wheat fields' golden blaze
Headed back to Nova Scotia, where contented cattle graze.

Where the pretty Robin Red Breast, seeks its' loved ones in the trees
And the French di'lect in old Quebec, keeps callin' out to me
It seems to say, be on your way, there's a welcome at the door
Where the kinfolks are a-waiting on that gay Atlantic shore.

Change to Eb:
Down through beautiful New Brunswick and across the P.E.I.
To the rock-bound coasts of Newfoundland, I'll love them till I die
But if God came here on Earth with us and asked if he could rest
I'd take him to my Nova Scotia home, the place that I love best.

Note. Hank Snow - The Old And Great Songs
1964 RCA CAS-836(e)

Subject: RE: Cape Breton Lullaby
From:
Date: 11 Dec 98 - 12:57 AM

Jack, I'm glad you were able to get the words last night. Didn't see your message until tonight. Hope you have fun singing it.

Susan from DT, glad you didn't mean to be harsh. When I have in the past sent corrections, I have not remembered seeing any of them implemented. Hopefully it's now better than that now.

amsimon - No, I don't recall a song with the title you mentioned, but the lyrics sound like one of old George Hamilton IV's songs, or an old Ian Tyson song. Haven't quite placed it yet.

Subject: RE: Cape Breton Lullaby
From: Jack Hickman
Date: 11 Dec 98 - 12:01 AM

Anne:

Different song altogether. There's enough information in this thread to establish that there is definitely a song called Cape Breton Lullaby, and it was certainly recorded several years ago by Catherine MacKinnon.

Subject: RE: Cape Breton Lullaby
From:
Date: 10 Dec 98 - 02:10 PM

My best friend is from Cape Breton and she says that there is no such song as "The Cape Breton Lullaby". The song that she is familiar with done by Catherine MacKinnon is "The Atlantic Lullaby".

It goes: There's a place I'll always cherish beneath the blue Canadian sky where the shores down in Cape Breton meet the golden sun to rise

or something to that effect. Could this be the one that you are thinking of.

Please e-mail me if it is. Anne

Subject: RE: Cape Breton Lullaby in Gaelic
From:
Date: 10 Dec 98 - 06:41 AM

I spoke to Catriona Parsons by e-mail last night. She indicates that there will be a recording out in the spring of '99 which will include the Gaelic song Taladh Cheap Bretuinn.

Catriona Parsons had translated Kenneth Leslie's Cape Breton Lullaby into Gaelic and that is the title. I don't know what the project name is, but I think the working title is "Women's Songs".

Watch for this one in the new year. Catriona will be singing two or three songs on it.

She suggested that I make the Gaelic words available on the 'net at that time.

Subject: RE: Cape Breton Lullaby
From: Susan of DT
Date: 06 Dec 98 - 05:03 PM

Hey guys, I wasn't being nasty. Just mentioning that there are a guzillion songs out there, so don't be surprised that not everything is in already - we need everyone's help to make it grow in all areas, and particularly in languages Dick and I do not speak.

Sorry if it sounded harsh.

Subject: RE: Cape Breton Lullaby
From: Jack Hickman
Date: 05 Dec 98 - 11:48 PM

Alice from Montana:

Many thanks for your effort in this regard. I did try searching the forum under Cape Breton Lullaby, Driftwood, etc, but came up with zilch. I must have done something wrong, but thanks to you I now have the information I wanted.

Keep the Faith.

Jack Hickman

Subject: RE: Cape Breton Lullaby
From: Alice
Date: 05 Dec 98 - 07:18 PM

Jack, I found, amazingly, three titles of threads called 'Cape Breton Lullaby'. I refreshed them, and also another cape Breton thread with Gaelic lyrics to a cape Breton song (may not be the lullaby). If you would like to search the forum more, the word 'Breton' in the body field of the forum search page brings up many threads.

alice in montana

Subject: RE: Cape Breton Lullaby
From: Jack Hickman
Date: 05 Dec 98 - 04:34 PM

Reply to George Seto:

Thank you for those words of encouragement, George. I didn't think I was being unreasonable, but I'm still smarting from the "slap upside the head" I got from Susan of DT.

You'd be surprised how the Cape Breton culture has cross-pollinated the rest of Canada, thanks to the likes of Don Messer, Catherine MacKinnon, "Jinallan" Cameron and others. I'm a Westerner who has lived in Ontario most of my adult life, and I'm a real sucker for C.B music, and most of the "Capers" I know arfe great people.

Back to business, the Forum is new to me, and I entered a search using the criteria you supplied, and got negative results. I think I've Tim Jacques e-mail address, so I might contact him directly.

Thank you for your help.

Jack Hickman

Subject: RE: Cape Breton Lullaby
From:
Date: 05 Dec 98 - 11:46 AM

Hmmm. It looks like Tim Jacques typed it in twice to the Forum. The ealier time was in October of '97. Check them out. As well, there are explanatory notes about the song and Mr Leslie in those mssages. I think it might be a good idea if the DT people save one of these messages into the DT. Save recriminations and harsh words in future.

Oh, and as for Gaelic, we DO look here. Wish there were more songs in Gaelic here. I'm going to ask Catriona Parsons for permission to type up her translation first before submitting it here.

Subject: RE: Cape Breton Lullaby
From:
Date: 05 Dec 98 - 11:17 AM

I hadn't realized the Cape Breton Lullaby is that popular it would be known outside of the region. Very interesting.

I think the reply from DT was a bit of a hard answer. Think they could have worded it a bit nicer.

The English words to Cape Breton Lullaby I thought had been posted in this forum a while back. The song was written by Kenneth Leslie, and the Gaelic translation was by Catriona Parsons. His song is found in several books, including the Cape Breton Song Collection.

http://www.geocities.com/Area51/Zone/6338/g

Subject: RE: Cape Breton Lullaby
From:
Date: 05 Dec 98 - 10:27 AM

Susan of DT.

Please don't misunderstand my comments. I'm very impressed with the magnitude of the data base, I just thought that the Cape Breton lullaby was fairly well known, therefore could have been found in DT, and was surprised when I couldn't.

At this time, the only line from the song that I can think of is "Driftwood is Burning Bright" But I will check a little further and see if I can come up with some more words. I tried entering that string, without success.

By the way, the song is in two versions, English and Gaelic. I would be happy to get either version or both.

Your efforts are certainly appreciated.

Jack Hickman

Subject: RE: Cape Breton Lullaby
From: Susan of DT
Date: 05 Dec 98 - 09:13 AM

Surely you don't think 7500 songs covers the world of folk music - it hardly scratches the surface.

Give us a line or two from the song to give us a hint. Titles don't always say much.

We have few Gaelic songs in the database, partly because Dick and I don't speak any of the Gaelic languages, and because not many of the people submitting songs do so in Gaelic.

Subject: Cape Breton Lullaby
From: Jack Hickman
Date: 05 Dec 98 - 01:35 AM

Greetings All:

I would like to get the lyrics in both English and Gaelic for Cape Breton Lullaby, as performed variously by Catherine MacKinnon or Theresa Doyle. DT doesn't seem to have it, much to my surprise.

Thanks

Jack Hickman