Lyr Req: Love and Freedom (Hey Donald)

Subject: SONG REQ: 'she's chosen love and freedom..'
From: Susan-Marie
Date: 21 May 99 - 04:12 PM

I heard a song at a friends house that I liked - it was about a woman who is courted by a piper and decides to run away with him. The last line was "she's chosen love and freedom, now she'll wander all her days". The DT doesn't have a song with that exact phrase (although there are many on that theme). Anyone out there know it?

Subject: RE: SONG REQ: 'she's chosen love and freedom..'
From: Ewan McVicar
Date: 06 Jun 99 - 04:48 PM

The song was written by Dundee poetess Mary Brooksbank, begins
As I came o'er Strathmartin Mains
Chorus starts Hey Donald Ho Donald
The song is known by it's first line, or as Hey Donald, or as Love And Freedom.
I have not the time to tippy tap out the words, but may have it on file in the Linlithgow Sangschule Songbook. If so I'll dig it out when I can.

Subject: RE: SONG REQ: 'she's chosen love and freedom..'
From: Susan-Marie
Date: 08 Jun 99 - 12:23 PM

Ewan - Yes, that's the song, I remember the "hey Donald" part! Thanks for responding, I was beginning to think I'd imagined it. Any help you can give will be appreciated. I'm told it might be on a Cathi Ryan CD, in which case she might have the words on the CD notes, but I'd love to see your version.

Subject: RE: SONG REQ: 'she's chosen love and freedom..'
From: Peter
Date: 08 Jun 99 - 12:28 PM

Ossian - sorry, Oisin - do a version of this one, on (I think) their "Over The Moor To Maggie" recording.

Subject: Lyr Add: LOVE AND FREEDOM^^
From: Susanne (skw)
Date: 08 Jun 99 - 05:27 PM

This is the version sung by Cilla Fisher & Artie Trezise on their album 'Balcanquhal'. Maybe it'll save Ewan some work.

Chorus:
Singing, hey Donal', ho Donal'
Durrum a do a day

As I come o'er sweet Martin Braes what do you think I seen
A braw young piper laddie come a-linking o'er the green

He played a reel and he played a jig and he played a sweet strathspey
He roosed ma hairt till its beats kept time tae the tapping o' ma tae

Well I've nae gown tae offer ye, I hae but little gear
But we'll hae love and freedom gin you follow me, my dear

There's gowd on the broom o' the Sidlaw Hills, honey ben the heather sweet
There's a speckled crow in the (?)

Syne he blew up his chanter and sic a spring he plays
So I chose love and freedom tae wander a' the days

Subject: RE: SONG REQ: 'she's chosen love and freedom..'
From: Susanne (skw)
Date: 08 Jun 99 - 05:30 PM

Sorry, too quick. I forgot my requests: In the first line the words sound like 'Sweet Martin Braes' to me but could as well be what Ewan wrote. And in the line with the question mark I just can't make out that bit. Any ideas anyone? - Thanks, Susanne

Subject: RE: SONG REQ: 'she's chosen love and freedom..'
From: Ewan McVic ar
Date: 15 Jun 99 - 04:38 AM

Susan-Marie
Could not remember the name of your thread last night, so I posted the lyric as Hey Donald Ho Donald. It fills in the gap in Susanne's posting.

Subject: Lyr Add: LOVE AND FREEDOM^^
From:
Date: 15 Jun 99 - 04:53 PM

Well I did indeed post the lyric, but the new thread I created has disappeared!" Weird. Mary Brooksbank also wrote Ten and Nine, also called The Jute Mill Song or Oh Dear Me.
Here is the lyric.

Hey Donal', Ho Donal'
by Mary Brooksbank

As I cam by Strathmartine Mains
What dae ye think I see
But a braw young piper laddie come
A linkin' ower the green

Singin' Hey Donal', Ho Donal'
Dirrum a doo a day

He played a reel, an' he played a jig
An' he played a sweet strathspey
He roosed ma hairt till its beat kept time
Tae the tappin' o' my tae

Oh I've nae gowd tae offer ye
For I've gaithered little gear
But we'll hae love an' freedom
Gin ye'll follow me my dear

There's gowd in the broom o' the Sidlaw Hills
Honey frae the heather sweet
There's a speckled trout in the purlin' tarn
A velvet carpet neath oor feet

Syne he blew up his chanter
An' sic a spring he plays
That I chose love an' freedom
Now I wander a' my days

Subject: RE: SONG REQ: 'she's chosen love and freedom..'
From: Ewan McVicar
Date: 16 Jun 99 - 04:33 AM

By the way, as my wife Linda pointed out, a tarn cannot purl! A tarn is a mountain lochan, to purl is to flow and babble.
And that line is murder to phrase - the tune I suspect was added to a poem, from her book Sidlaw Breezes I think.

Subject: RE: SONG REQ: 'she's chosen love and freedom..'
From: Susan-Marie
Date: 16 Jun 99 - 05:51 PM

Thanks so much everyone!

Subject: ADD: Strathmartine Mains (Love And Freedom)
From: Joe Offer
Date: 09 Dec 18 - 02:48 AM

I found a Website that has a transcription of the Malinky recording of this song: http://www.celticlyricscorner.net/malinky/strathmartine.htm

Can we find an original source for this song?

STRATHMARTINE MAINS (LOVE AND FREEDOM)
(Mary Brooksbank)

As I cam owre Strathmartine Mains
Wha dae ye think I seen?
But a braw young piper laddie
Cam a-linkin owre the green

CHORUS:
Singing hey Donald, ho Donald
Dirrum-a-doo-a-day

He played a jig and he played reel
And he played a sweet strathspey
He roused my hairt 'til the beat skipped time
Tae the tappin' o' ma tae

Well, I've nae gowd tae offer ye
I hae but little gear
But we'll hae love and freedom
If ye'll gang wi' me, my dear

There's gowd in the broom o' the Sidlaw Hills
Honey in the heather sweet
There's speckled trout in the Henlinn Tarn
A cairpet 'neath oor feet

He blew up his chanter
An' it's sic a spig he plays
So I chose love and freedom
An' I'll wander all my days


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_YkU6Nj8o2A

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Love and Freedom (Hey Donald)
From: Reinhard
Date: 09 Dec 18 - 06:00 AM

You can hear Mary Brooksbank singing Love and Freedom in 1964 on Toban an Dualchais.

And there is the Linlithgow Sangschule Songbook version of Hey Donal Ho Donal that Ewan McVicar mentioned in the second posting in this thread.