Lyr Req: King Fareweel (from The Corries)

Subject: Lyrics Wanted: King Fareweel
From: Mbo
Date: 16 Jul 99 - 07:14 PM

I'm looking for the lyrics to The Corries' "King Fareweel." Also, if anyone has any background on the song I would appreciate it!

Subject: Lyr Add: KING FAREWEEL (from Hamish Henderson)
From: bigJ
Date: 18 Jul 99 - 04:33 PM

Don't know if these are the words as used by the Corries or not since I haven't heard their version, however these are the words as collected by Hamish Henderson from the singer Jock Cameron in 1953.

For ye've feather beds an carpet rooms -
Could ye no pit doon a wee German lairdie?
For a better Prince sure than ever he was
Lay amangst the heather wi the kilt and plaidie.

Refrain: King fareweel, noo fareweel,
It's a' to gaird our king, fareweel.

It was on Prestonpans where we drew our plans
Where the Heilan' lads were lyin ready,
An wi the wind o the sky we sure made them fly,
Wi every shake that we gien our plaidie.

Aye, it was on Prestonpans where we drew our plans,
Where many's a braw lad lost his daddy,
Where wi the wind o the sky we made them fly
Wi every shake that we gien our plaidie.

from: Tocher No. 34 p243

Subject: RE: Lyrics Wanted: King Fareweel
From: Ewan McVicar
Date: 19 Jul 99 - 04:01 AM

Andy Hunter did a magnificent expansion / rewrite of the above fragment in the 1960s. It was recorded by him and also by Archie Fisher, and was printed in an edition of Chapbook, but I also don't know which version the Corries wrapped their tonsils round.

Subject: Lyr Add: KING FAREWEEL
From: bigJ
Date: 19 Jul 99 - 03:27 PM

Thanks Ewan for steering me in the direction of Andy Hunter's version - I'd forgotten about it. The sleeve notes say - A broadside ballad probably composed just after the Battle of Prestonpans - at which Prince Charlie's men routed Johnny Cope's army in 1745 - is the far-out ancestor of this powerful and very moving Jacobite song, which is Andy's own composition.

KING FAREWEEL.

A big Prince landed in the North,
A' they lads o' the hills were at the ready;
An' the folk they cam frae far and near,
Tae view the lad in his tartan plaidie.

Refrain: King fareweel, hame fareweel,
A'tae bid oor King fareweel.

When wee King Geordie heard o' this,
That the Prince laid claim tae (?)
Sir Johnnie Cope he sent tae the North
Tae catch the lad in the tartan plaidie.

When Cope he came tae Inverness
They tellt him the Prince was South already,
That Perth and Falkirk and Stirlin too,
Had viewed the lad in the tartan plaidie.

Noo a big Prince cam tae Edinburgh toon,
And he wisnae a wee wee German lairdie
For a far better prince nor ever he was
Layed oot in the heather in his tartan plaidie.

At Prestonpans they laid their plans,
And the Heilan lads they were lyin ready,
Like the wind frae Skye they bid them fly,
And monie's the braw laddie lost his daddy.

Noo London Toon wis on her knees,
But the Heilan Lads they were far from cheerie,
And they left for hame through the want o men,
And they waved fareweell tae yon London ladies.

At Glesca Toon they found their shoon,
But the merchant folk they grat richt sairly,
The Prince turned roon - said he'd burn their toon
Locheil said. "Nae", and the Prince he daurnae.

On Culloden Moor they made their stand;
The brave Locheil and the braw Glengarry,
Cumberland cursed and he swore an oath,
He wad gar their bluid fill the sheughs in the valleys.

Wi' your feather beds and your carpet ha's,
Could ye no pit doon a wee German laidie?
For a better Prince nor ever he was,
Laid oot in the heather in his tartan plaidie.
^^

shoon - shoes. grat - complained. daurnae - dare not. gar - make. sheughs - ditches.

As sung by Andy Hunter on his LP 'King Fareweel' (1984) Lismor LIFL 7002.

Subject: RE: Lyrics Wanted: King Fareweel
From: Susanne (skw)
Date: 20 Jul 99 - 05:36 PM

The Corries sing a three-verse version, two of which are identical with verse 1 + 2 from Tocher, quoted by BigJ. They use a different one as their first, though, and I haven't managed to work it out. I'll post it when I have. - Susanne

Subject: Lyric Request to King Fareweel (King Farewell)
From: GUEST,Karen Crow
Date: 22 Jan 09 - 10:56 PM

I'm looking for the lyrics to the Corries' song, King Fareweel.

King Fareweel, aye fareweel
da-dum, da-dum, da-dum, da-dum-dum

By Preston Pans we laid oor plans
All the Hieland lads were ready
By the wind and the sea we made them flee
The will to strike that was in our plaidee?

Anyone have all the lyrics? I've got a lot of misheard stuff going on here!
Thanks
Karen

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Flood Garry
From: Malcolm Douglas
Date: 23 Jan 09 - 12:26 AM

For a start (though not a precise answer), see the earlier discussion  Lyr Req: King Fareweel (from The Corries), which can be found by typing King Fareweel into the onsite search engine ('Lyrics and Knowledge Search' at the top of every page here).

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: King Fareweel (from The Corries)
From: GUEST,Dagan
Date: 20 Apr 09 - 06:25 PM

I have researched the following verses for "King Fareweel", though it is quite obivious that Roy and Ronnie chose those that most appealed to them. So, for what it may be worth, ..............

King Fareweel

A big Prince landed in the North,
A' they lads o' the hills were at the ready;
An' the folk they cam frae far and near,
Tae view the lad in his tartan plaidie.

Refrain: King fareweel, hame fareweel,
A'tae bid oor King fareweel.

When wee King Geordie heard o' this,
That the Prince laid claim tae (?)
Sir Johnnie Cope he sent tae the North
Tae catch the lad in the tartan plaidie.

When Cope he came tae Inverness
They tellt him the Prince was South already,
That Perth and Falkirk and Stirlin too,
Had viewed the lad in the tartan plaidie.

Noo a big Prince cam tae Edinburgh toon,
And he wisnae a wee wee German lairdie
For a far better prince nor ever he was
Layed oot in the heather in his tartan plaidie.

At Prestonpans they laid their plans,
And the Heilan lads they were lyin ready,
Like the wind frae Skye they bid them fly,
And monie's the braw laddie lost his daddy.

Noo London Toon wis on her knees,
But the Heilan Lads they were far from cheerie,
And they left for hame through the want o men,
And they waved fareweell tae yon London ladies.

At Glesca Toon they found their shoon,
But the merchant folk they grat richt sairly,
The Prince turned roon - said he'd burn their toon
Locheil said. "Nae", and the Prince he daurnae.

On Culloden Moor they made their stand;
The brave Locheil and the braw Glengarry,
Cumberland cursed and he swore an oath,
He wad gar their bluid fill the sheughs in the valleys.

Wi' your feather beds and your carpet ha's,
Could ye no pit doon a wee German lairdie?
For a better Prince nor ever he was,
Laid oot in the heather in his tartan plaidie.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: King Fareweel (from The Corries)
From: GUEST
Date: 05 May 10 - 12:46 PM

When oor Prince cam tae Edinburgh toon
Ach, but we were braw and ready
He made every Scottish heart tae warm
Wi' gay shake that he gaed his plaidie

King Fareweel, Aye fareweel
It's a' tae gi'oor King Fareweel

Ye hae feather beds and carpets roond
Ach, will ye no' pit doon yon German lairdie
For a better prince, there never was
Lays amang the heather in his tartan plaidie

At Prestonpans we laid our plans
A' the hielan lads were ready
By the wind and the sea we made them flee
The will tae strike that was in oor plaidies

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: King Fareweel (from The Corries)
From: GUEST
Date: 07 Jan 11 - 06:18 PM

http://sniff.numachi.com/pages/tiKINGFWEL.html

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: King Fareweel (from The Corries)
From: Joe Offer
Date: 07 Jan 11 - 06:58 PM

Hi-
Songs from http://sniff.numachi.com/ come from an older version of our Digital Tradition Folk Song Database. You'll find the same information right here at Mudcat, the original source.

-Joe-