DTStudy: Caledonia

Subject: DTStudy: Caledonia
From: Joe Offer
Date: 18 Jul 15 - 02:45 AM

Please folks, this thread has nothing to do with Dougie MacLean, although I really like his song. And it's not the Burns song, either.

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This is an edited DTStudy thread, and all messages posted here are subject to editing and deletion.
This thread is intended to serve as a forum for corrections and annotations for the Digital Tradition song named in the title of this thread.

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I came across this song on a recording by Emily Smith, and it turns out the song is in the Digital Tradition.

Here are the DT lyrics:

CALEDONIA

Twa Scottish women sat down to sigh and mourn,
By cam' a troop o' their ain countrymen,
Says, "Rise ye up, my bonnie lass, mak' haste and come awa'
There's a vessel lying and bound for Caledonia

Oh, says the sailor, are ye willing for to pay,
Five hundred guineas before on board ye go,
But ye must pay them plack and farthin' before on board ye go,
And we'll take ye to yer bonnie Caledonia.

Oh, says the lassie, I'm willing for to pay,
Five hundred guineas before on board I go,
I'II pay them plack and farthin' before on board I go,
If ye take me to my pretty Caledonia.

Oh, said the sailor, her money we will take,
And when she's on seas we'll throw her over deck,
Or We'll sell her for a slave lang or she win there ava,
And she'll never see her pretty Caledonia.

Oh, says the captain, that would never do,
There are no slaves sold intil our country noo,
They wad kill us every man, they wad hang us ane and a'
If we offered a slave for sale in Caledonia.

They've sailed east and they've sailed west,
And they've sailed past many a seaport town,
The seas they did beat and the winds they did blaw,
And it's caused them a' to weep for Caledonia.

One night as the captain he lay upon his bed,
He dreamed a dream that something to him said-,
Tak' care o' yon bonnie lass that ye brocht awa
For she's caused ye a' to weep for Caledonia.

The captain away to the sailor he's gone,
Says, Where is yon bonnie lass that ye brought far fae home?
Where is yon bonnie lass that ye brought far awa?
For she's caused us a' to weep for Caledonia.

O, says the sailor, she's lying very low,
She lies bound hand and foot ready over deck to throw,
She lies bound hand and foot ready over deck to throw,
And she'll never see her pretty Caledonia.

O The captain away to this fair maid is gone,
Says, What is the reason that ye lie here so long?
For what is the reason that ye lie here ava?
For ye've paid your passage dear for Caledonia.

Oh, says the lassie, ah wae's me,
'It ever I wis born sic hardships for to see,
But he'll hae got a sweetheart he likes better far than me,
And it causes me to weep for Caledonia.

Oh, says the captain, if a promise ye will make,
That when we go to land then upon me you will wait,
If I wad spare your life and let naebody know,
Ye'll maybe see your pretty Caledonia.

Oh, says the lassie, a promise I will make,
That when we go to land then upon you I will wait,
If ye will spare my life and let naebody know,
And we'll maybe see oor pretty Caledonia.

The captain away to the sailor he's gone
He's ta'en him by the neck and 'im overdeck he's thrown
Says, Tak' this cup of caul watter, though the liquor be but sma'
And drink your lassie's health in Caledonia.

They've sailed east and they've sailed west,
They've sailed past many a seaport town,
The seas they did beat and the win's they did blaw,
And they've a' safe arrived at Caledonia.

They hidna been there but three-quarters O' a year,
When in fine silks and satins he's made her for to wear,
When in fine silks and satins he's made her for to go,
And she lives the captain's lady in Caledonia.

From The Grieg-Duncan Greig-Duncan Folk Song Collection
DT #378
@Scottish @sailor @trick
filename[ CALDONIA
TUNE FILE: CALDONIA
CLICK TO PLAY
TUNE FILE: CALDONIA.2
CLICK TO PLAY
RG

Subject: ADD Version: Caledonia
From: Joe Offer
Date: 18 Jul 15 - 02:53 AM

And here's the Emily Smith Version:

CALEDONIA
Words Traditional, Melody Tony Cuffe,

A sailor and his true love
Lay doon tae mak their moan
When in by came ain o their countrymen
Sayin' rise up my bonny lassie
Mak haste and come awa
There's a vessel lying bound for Caledonia

Oh said the sailor, are ye willing for tae pay
Five hundred guineas
Afore on board ye gay?
I'll pay them plack and farthing
Afore on board I go
If ye'll tak me tae my bonny Caledonia

Oh said the sailor her money we will tak
And when we're on the sea
We'll throw her over deck
Or sell her for a slave
Lang ere she win ava
And she'll never see her bonny Caledonia

Well said the captain, well that'll never do
For there are nae slaves
Sold intae oor country noo
They'd hang us ane and a'
They would hang us every man
If we sold her for a slave to Caledonia

Well said the sailor she's lying doon below
She's bound hand and foot
Ready overboard to throw
She's bound hand and foot
Ready overboard to throw
And she'll never see her bonny Caledonia

So the captain away tae the fair maid he has gane
Says what is the reason
That ye're lying here sae lang
An' what is the reason
That ye're lying here at all?
For you've paid your passage dear tae Caledonia

Oh said the lassie, oh woe is me
That ever I was born
Sic hardships for tae see
For the sailors got a lassie
He likes better far than me
And it causes me to weep for Caledonia

So the captain away to the sailor he has gane
He's ta'en him by the neck
And him overboard has thrown
Saying tak this cup o' water
Though the liquor be but sma'
And drink your lassie's health tae Caledonia

They've sailed east and they've sailed west
Until they reached the land
That they a' loved the best
For the winds they did roar
And the seas they did beat
And they've all arrived safe to Caledonia

Well they hadna been there
But three quarters o' a year
When in fine silks and satins
He's made her for tae wear
When in fine silks and satins
He's made her for tae go
Noo she's the captain's wife in Caledonia
Noo she's the captain's wife in Caledonia

Source: https://www.rxlyrics.com/lyrics/e/emily-smith/caledonia-4c.html

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IpJsSbmcU1Y

Subject: RE: DTStudy: Caledonia
From: GUEST,Dave
Date: 18 Jul 15 - 04:43 AM

These songs have separate entries in the Roud Folk song index (Canadee-i-o is 309, Caledonia is 5543). The tunes of, for instance, Caledonia as sung by Emily Smith and Canadee-i-o as sung by Nic Jones are completely different, though its possible that Nic Jones wrote his own). The lyrics are different, though the plot is only different in respect of the direction of travel across the Atlantic. There is a short discussion of this on mainlynorfolk:

https://mainlynorfolk.info/nic.jones/songs/canadeeio.html

To confuse matters Caledonia by Dougie MacLean is different and When I first Came to Caledonia sung by Norma Waterson is different again.

Subject: RE: DTStudy: Caledonia
From: Joe Offer
Date: 18 Jul 15 - 03:23 PM

Just as with "Caledonia," there are a number of different songs that bear the title "Canadee-i-o". This one, which I posted above, has many things in common with the "Caledonia" that Smith sings.

-Joe-

Subject: RE: DTStudy: Caledonia
From: Reinhard
Date: 18 Jul 15 - 03:56 PM

According to the notes on Emily Smith's CD, the tune on her version of Caledonia is by Tony Cuffe of Ossian fame (who incidentally sang Caledonia in 1988 on his solo album "When First I Went to Caledonia").

Subject: RE: DTStudy: Caledonia
From: GUEST,Desi C
Date: 20 Jul 15 - 07:07 AM

She has a great voice, and I think I prefer that Caledonia to McLean's

Subject: RE: DTStudy: Caledonia
From: Tattie Bogle
Date: 21 Jul 15 - 04:11 AM

Yes, somewhat confusing, as the tune shown above is nothing like the one used by Tony Cuffe and Emily Smith ( Emily's version being somewhat faster and more "funky" rhythmically). And there is a YouTube of Tony Cuffe performing the song in 1988, where he states that the song is not about Caledonia (as in Scotland) but the Caledonian coal mines in Nova Scotia.

Subject: RE: DTStudy: Caledonia
From: Tattie Bogle
Date: 21 Jul 15 - 04:32 AM

Self-correction 1 - Tony Cuffe's video is from 1998 not 1988. And this is the same song that Norma Waterson songs, with a slight variation in the title: she sings "came" and Tony sings " went".
Correction 2: Emily Smith's Caledonia is a different song entirely from Tony's.
But neither song uses the tune shown above

Subject: RE: DTStudy: Caledonia
From: Ross Campbell
Date: 21 Jul 15 - 06:47 AM

Re Tony Cuffe/Norma Waterson "Caledonia" - this is a completely different song from the "Caledonia/Canadee-i-o" song listed above.

Subject: RE: DTStudy: Caledonia
From: Tattie Bogle
Date: 21 Jul 15 - 07:33 PM

Have just looked at Tony Cuffe's discography and he does BOTH songs on the album called "When First I Went to Caledonia": "Caledonia" - the one that Joe was talking about, and has been covered by Emily Smith - AND "When First I Went to Caledonia" - the one about the Nova Scotia mines, also sung by Norma Waterson.
No wonder it's confusing!

Track listing here:
Tony Cuffe: When First I Went to Caledonia (Iona Records IR011, 1988)
Side One: When First I Went to Caledonia; Miss Wharton Duff (Marshall)/The Mare; The Iron Horse; Caledonia (trad/Cuffe); Dr McInnes' Fancy (Donald Macleod)/Jim Tweedie's Sea Legs (J Allan Macgee)
Side Two: The Buchan Turnpike; The Lass O' Patie's Mill; The Weary Pund O' Tow (Burns); Paddy Kelly's/The Humours of Tulla; Otterburn; Scalloway Lasses/Miss Forrester

Subject: RE: DTStudy: Caledonia
From: GUEST,Teenylambofgod
Date: 13 Nov 15 - 10:54 PM

I heard a version of this song on Pandora by Susan Mckeown and I am trying to find the original author of the song, but due to there are at least two songs that have the name Caledonia I am not finding anything with that bit of information.

Subject: RE: DTStudy: Caledonia
From: Reinhard
Date: 14 Nov 15 - 01:44 AM

Susan McKeown's Caledonia is on her album "Sweet Liberty" and the song's lyrics are nearly identical to Emily Smith's shown above. So it's a traditional song with no known author.

Subject: RE: DTStudy: Caledonia
From: GUEST,Allan Conn
Date: 14 Nov 15 - 04:39 AM

The Emily Smith song is in the "Ord's Bothy Songs & Ballads" which was published in the 1920s. Lyrics pretty much the same as Smith's version though in his collected version it is two Scottish lovers rather than two Scottish lassies.