Lyr Req: The Drunken Piper

Subject: Lyrics to The Drunken Piper
From: Nancy
Date: 18 Dec 99 - 02:39 PM

This is a great tune and I've heard it sung in Gaelic but does anyone have the tune in English? Yes, I've checked here already:) Cheers, Nancy

PS I'll take the lyrics in Gaelic if you have them too.

Subject: RE: Lyrics to The Drunken Piper
From:
Date: 18 Dec 99 - 03:44 PM

There are three copies of the tune available through the webwide ABC index. I've seen it called "The Drunken Piper of Galloway". Galloway isn't a Gaelic speaking region, and the title isn't Gaelic. I doubt there are any original verses to it in any language.

Subject: RE: Lyrics to The Drunken Piper
From: Mbo
Date: 18 Dec 99 - 03:56 PM

The sung version I've always heard of "The Drunken Piper" is by Natalie MacMaster & Cookie Rankin. On the album "The Drunken Piper" is really a tune set, with Cookie singing the song "Far Am Bi Mi-Fhin" to the tune of the Drunken Piper. The lyrics to the song can be found at Mudcat's own George Seto's Gaelic lyrics site, at http://www.geocities.com/Area51/Zone/6338/far_am.html. Cheers!

--Mbo

Subject: RE: Lyrics to The Drunken Piper
From: _gargoyle
Date: 18 Dec 99 - 04:03 PM

Sorry, can't locate the lyrics

Dozens of sites have the "Greenwoodsides" midi such as this one here at contemplator.com: Drunken Piper Midi truncate to homepage.

There are also several sites with the Standard and ABC notation such as Richard Robinson's Tunebook Drunken Piper Notation truncate to homepage.

There are over a score of different recordings listed and as many dance sites but on a few with a singer.

If someone transcibes and posts to the DT...it will probably be a "first-time ever."

Subject: RE: Lyrics to The Drunken Piper
From: Mbo
Date: 18 Dec 99 - 04:19 PM

Maybe we could be Aine to translate the Gaelic lyrics for us?

--Mbo

Subject: RE: Lyrics to The Drunken Piper
From: _gargoyle
Date: 18 Dec 99 - 07:10 PM

Check your reference to Gary's page....there is nothing there...and

Subject: RE: Lyrics to The Drunken Piper
From: Mbo
Date: 18 Dec 99 - 07:22 PM

If you're referring to George's lyrics page, the URL IS correct. I've just triple checked it. It leads me to the lyrics everytime.

--Mbo

Subject: RE: Lyrics to The Drunken Piper
From: _gargoyle
Date: 18 Dec 99 - 08:19 PM

Mea Culpa!

It does work...... the "." at the end blended into the "l" when cut and pasting.

Subject: RE: Lyrics to The Drunken Piper
From: Malcolm Douglas
Date: 18 Dec 99 - 08:48 PM

Davie Stewart used to sing "The Daft Piper" to the tune of The Drunken Piper. It's a mixture of song and monologue, and was popular in Highland regiments during World War 2. The Scots of it is broader than I'm used to, so I won't promise to transcribe it (I will, though, if I get the time; just don't hold your breath!) -it's on Davie Stewart:  Greentrax, CDTRAX 9052, 1998 (a re-issue of the 1978 Topic recording).

Malcolm

Subject: RE: Lyrics to The Drunken Piper
From:
Date: 20 Dec 99 - 11:10 AM

I suspect the person who used the url given above probably included the . which ended the sentence. That's the reason I usually do urls on a separate line...

Far Am Bi Mi-Fhìn - http://www.geocities.com/Area51/Zone/6338/far_am.html

Subject: RE: Lyrics to The Drunken Piper
From:
Date: 20 Dec 99 - 11:12 AM

Oops!!!!!

Far Am Bi Mi-Fhìn - http://www.geocities.com/Area51/Zone/6338/far_am.html

Subject: RE: Far am bi mi fhìn
From: Philippa
Date: 21 Dec 99 - 09:50 AM

other threads to see:
,br. Drunken Piper

There was an Old Piper(a different song)

George doesn't seem to have picked up on the request for a translation of his lyrics for Far Am Bi Mi-fhìn. The song, by the way, is a well-known standard among Scottish Gaels. I'll venture a quick, rough translation (I'm writing from the uni library):

wherever I am, is where I want to be {my interpretation - dochas means hope or ecpectation . another possible translation:… is where my hopes lie?)

1) travelling the beaches and walking on the sand
2) Sine and I will go to the piper's house and dance a reel on the floor
3)As the piper gives us a tune for the reel, the shepherd has a fiddle and the craftsman has a pipe
3C) I heard from Sine that she had a jaw's harp and a comb, Although every fiddler and piper would be there

Subject: RE: Lyrics to The Drunken Piper
From: Nancy
Date: 21 Dec 99 - 05:42 PM

Wow great responses and answers too! Thanks to you all for the sites, and translations. That's why I love this place. From Philippa I found the thread that names the tunes Natalie MacAlister plays: "The Drunken Piper," "The Primrose Lasses" and "Father John Angus Rankin" which Natalie plays on her fiddle and "Far Am Bi Mi Fhin" which Cookie sings. Thanks all, Nancy

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: The Drunken Piper
From: GUEST,Allen MacKenzie - Speybank Croft
Date: 24 Sep 14 - 12:01 PM

I have an old Bakelite 78 with a song on it called the Daft Piper. I managed to get a friend to put it on tape therefore I have an almost perfect recording of it. Are you still interested ? The second side is spoken and not sung carrying on the story of how Donald stopped the Germans (Huns) in their tracks.

The first verse goes something like this -

Donald was a piper a very thirsty piper hi purra he parra ho parra hanee she went to war the Germans tried to snipe her ochan dochan decahan dochan dachan dochan dam.

If you want more contact Allen on 01236 768 388 or on

e-mail - [e-mail]

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: The Drunken Piper
From: GUEST,jim bainbridge
Date: 24 Sep 14 - 12:55 PM

Davie Stewart used to sing this - it's actually on a Topic LP- Rab Collins does a great version of it at Scottish festival sessions...
Davie used to finish it with a verse probably his own??...

'Edinburgh, Musselburgh, Aberdeen a-haudie
Heechan dochan, hoochan dochan, heechan dochan aye'

(excuse my Gaelic!)

on a previous point, there has certainly been no Gaelic in Galloway for many years, but there certainly was at one time, you only have to read many of the place names to see that & what do you think Galloway actually means!

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: The Drunken Piper
From: MGM·Lion
Date: 24 Sep 14 - 01:10 PM

Am I right that this was the tune to which Carthy & Swarbrick set the words of Byker Hill on their early record of that name, rather than the more usual tune that was first track on YT's first record about the same time?

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Subject: RE: Lyr Req: The Drunken Piper
From: MGM·Lion
Date: 25 Sep 14 - 12:31 PM

No -- on checking I find I am not right about that. I was confused with The Drunken Collier, one of the first set of dances on the original Iron Muse album.

Sorry about that,

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Subject: RE: Lyr Req: The Drunken Piper
From: Tattie Bogle
Date: 26 Sep 14 - 04:42 AM

The late Jim Reid wrote a song to that tune. It's in his book, "The Better O A Sang". It lists all the hills around his home in Letham, Angus.
The chorus goes:
Dunichen and Guthrie, Lour and Turin,
They're the hills aroond aboot Letham,
Carmelite Fother'n'ham Dumbarra
Turin Lour an' Lownie O.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: The Drunken Piper
From: GUEST
Date: 29 Oct 14 - 04:22 PM

i knew jim well i lived up turrin hill i always met him in the comercial bar letham

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: The Drunken Piper
From: Jim Carroll
Date: 29 Oct 14 - 04:43 PM

"No -- on checking I find I am not right about that. "
Weeeell - not sure about that Mike
Bell Stewart lilts a piece of ceantaracht on The Travelling People Radio Ballad, entitled 'The Drunken Piper', which is very similar to 'Byker Hill'
I think it is also included on the 'Song Carriers; series
Jim Carroll

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: The Drunken Piper
From: MGM·Lion
Date: 29 Oct 14 - 05:11 PM

Thanks, Jim. But I found three versions of The Drunken Piper on You Tube; & it isn't the same tune as The Drunken Collier to which Martin sang Byker Hill ("Ginny come home to your little baby") on his album called "Byker Hill"; which in turn is quite a different tune from the "If I had another penny" version which YT et al sang..

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