Lyr Req: Rothesay Bay

Subject: Rothesay Bay- words??
From: Murray on Saltspring
Date: 08 Jul 99 - 03:06 AM

Has anyone got the words of this song by Mrs. Craik? [I do have them somewhere, I'm sure, but they've disappeared for the time being.]

Subject: Lyr Add: ROTHESAY BAY
From: Wolfgang
Date: 09 Jul 99 - 04:39 AM

typed from "Summer holidays in London, Programme, songs, etc, 1911". If that's not the one, there's a song 'Rothesay-O' aka 'The day we went to Rothesay-O'. My source gives no tune for this song and as for the author it only states: "By the author of 'John Halifax, gentleman'". My language correction programme went havoc with this song. Could someone please explain the following words to me: ava, harst, mools, aboon?

Wolfgang

ROTHESAY BAY

Fu' yellow lie the corn-rigs
far down the braid hillside;
it is the brawest harst field
alang the shores o' Clyde,
and I'm a puir harst lassie
wha stands the lee lang day
amang the corn-rigs of Ardbeg
aboon sweet Rothesay Bay.

I had ance a true love,
now I hae nane ava;
and I had three braw brithers,
but I hae tint them a':
My father and my mither
sleep i' the mools this day;
I sit my lane amang the rigs
aboon sweet Rothesay Bay.

It's a bonnie bay at morning,
and bonnier at the noon,
but bonniest when the sun draps,
and red comes up the moon;
when the mist creeps o'er the Cumbraes,
and Arran peaks are gray,
and the great black hills, like sleepin' kings,
sit grand roun' Rothesay Bay.

Then a bit sigh stirs my bosom,
and a wee tear blin's my e'e,
and I think of that far countrie
wha' I wad like to be!
But I rise content i' the morning
to wark, whilst wark I may,
i' the yellow harst field of Ardbeg
aboon sweet Rothesay Bay.

Subject: RE: Rothesay Bay- words??
From: Wolfgang
Date: 09 Jul 99 - 04:42 AM

and: what's here 'tint'?

Subject: RE: Rothesay Bay- words??
From: Murray
Date: 12 Jul 99 - 01:21 AM

Thanks a lot! The odd words mean: ava - synonymous with "at a'", + at all; harst = harvest; mools [which was queried on another thread not long since]= "mould", i.e. grave dirt; aboon = above; tint = lost. Author of JH Gentleman was a Mrs. Diana Maria Craik, nee Mulock (1826-1887); she wrote the novel in 1857. [Her most famous tale was the fairy story "The Little Lame Prince", which is maybe still in print. She was as far as I know English, but managed to write this pleasant song in good Scots. Thanks again Murray

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Rothesay Bay
From: GUEST,Kirk Dandie.
Date: 03 Mar 17 - 05:43 AM

It is indeed a beautiful poem (and song) but the author's Scots in not perfect.

"Wha'" in the final verse (i.e. "where") should read "whaur", based on the rhotic 'r' of Scots speech.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Rothesay Bay
From: GUEST,Guest
Date: 03 Mar 17 - 10:58 AM

I thoght Scots speech was erhotic

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Rothesay Bay
From: Gallus Moll
Date: 03 Mar 17 - 07:02 PM

Kenneth McKellar was well known for singing Sweet Rothesay Bay - don't know if it would be on youtube?

The Day We Went Tae Rothesay O   is a completely different type of song -- but fun!

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Rothesay Bay
From: Joe Offer
Date: 03 Mar 17 - 09:09 PM

Here's the version George Seto found:

Thread #862   Message #1025119
Posted By: George Seto - [e-mail]
26-Sep-03 - 06:25 AM
Thread Name: Moira Anderson versions:Bonny Gallowa/Rothesay Bay
Subject: Lyr Add: ROTHESAY BAY

Don't know if Teru ever saw this later thread from 1999 where Wolfgang posted the words.

Found the words and more Scots Language explanation. From http://www.rampantscotland.com/songs/blsongs_rothesay.htm

Rothesay Bay

Fu' yellow lie the cornrigs, fat down the braid hillside;
It is the brawest har'st field, alang the shores o' Clyde,
And I'm a puir har'st lassie wha stands the lee lang day -
Amang the cornrigs of Ardbeg, aboon sweet Rothesay Bay.
 
O I had ance a true love, now I hae nane ava;
And I had three braw brithers, but I hae tint them a'.
My father and my mither sleep i' the mools this day -
I sit my lane amang the rigs, aboon sweet Rothesay Bay.
 
It's a bonnie bay at morning, and bonnier at noon,
But bonniest when the sun draps and red comes up the moon
When the mist creeps o'er the Cumbraes and Arran peaks are gray,
And the great black hills, like sleeping kings, sit grand roun' Rothesay Bay
 
Then a bit sigh stirs my bosom, and wee tear blin's my e'e,
And I think of that far countrie wha I wad like to be.
But I rise content i' the morning to wark while I may -
I' the yellow har'st field of Ardbeg, aboon sweet Rothesay Bay.
 
Meaning of unusual words:
cornrigs=strip of land growing corn
puir=poor
aboon=above
ava=at all
tint=lost
mools=earth
Cumbraes=islands east of Bute on the Clyde estuary
Arran=island south of Rothesay

^^^

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Rothesay Bay
From: Allan Conn
Date: 04 Mar 17 - 04:21 PM

Dandie is correct though. The lyric in the final verse is surely a mistake/misprint? The far country who I would like to be" doesn't make any kind of sense and it is obviously meant to be "whaur" as in "where".

This old recorded version definitely has it as "whaur"

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xnkkkb2MM8g

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Rothesay Bay
From: GUEST,Don Meixner
Date: 04 Mar 17 - 06:00 PM

Jean Redpath did a grand version of Rothsea Bay on what I think was her second Electra Recording.

Don Meixner