Highland Clearence songs & info?

Subject: Highland Clearence songs & info?
From: Barry Finn
Date: 13 Oct 97 - 09:54 PM

The post on The Land Of McLeod lead me to ask if it's a Highland Clearence song (to which Alex's says yes, Thanks), of which I know very little & of that only recently, although I've been singing at least one for well over a decade (Bonnie Glenn Shee). Would "The Rape Of Glenco" also be one, though, it's age might be debatable? Could anyone offer more songs that fit here & any info on the clearences themselves? Thanks (John where are you) Barry

Subject: RE: Highland Clearence songs & info?
From: John Nolan
Date: 13 Oct 97 - 10:10 PM

Barry, You are slightly confusing Bonnie John Glenn with Bonnie Glenshee. By the way, did I ever tell you the story of the time I was in Glenshee on skis and won the attentions of a foot fetishist? Clearances! I cleared out quick...

Subject: RE: Highland Clearence songs & info?
From: Barry
Date: 14 Oct 97 - 12:01 AM

John, Busk, Busk bonnie lassie & come awa..... dunno John Glenn bonnie or no. I'd go sking too but for the clearing my feet would cause. Barry

Subject: RE: Highland Clearence songs & info?
From: Wolfgang Hell
Date: 14 Oct 97 - 05:14 AM

There is an extra site listing Clearances songs from which you can go on to another site with the history of the Clearances.

A short story to show you that the Clearances are still living in memory today: I once was on the isle of Islay which produces several malt whiskies famous for their smoky and peaty taste. They use the local peat (turf) during the production of that spirit. Shortly before I was on Islay, there had been a TV feature in BBC stating that the whiskey production, i.e. digging of the peat was threatening the breeding ground of a rare species of geese (or ducks?). The islanders were mad about it and I recall one of them telling me that his forefathers were forced to yield to sheep but that he would not yield to geese.

Wolfgang

Subject: RE: Highland Clearence songs & info?
From: alison
Date: 14 Oct 97 - 07:58 AM

Hi Wolfgang,

thanks for the link is there any way to access the songs I could only get to the titles?

Destitution road by Alastair Hulettis one that springs to mind, I can only remember part of the chorus.

?..................... to get frantic,

It's time to ?hump your load,

Across the ?wild Atlantic

On the destitution road.

slainte

alison

Subject: RE: Highland Clearence songs & info?
From: Wolfgang
Date: 14 Oct 97 - 09:06 AM

Sorry, Alison, there's no access to the songs from that site. One of the songs, "I mourn for the highlands", I had asked for in this forum without success, at least one, "Terror time" is in the DT-database, "Fire in the glen" can be found here, "Return no more" I could find for sure in my collection, and "Don't cry in your sleep" perhaps too if it is that beautiful incredibly sad Highland Clearances lullaby I think it is. All other titles are unknown to me, but there are many people in this group with larger collections and better memories...

Wolfgang

Subject: RE: Highland Clearence songs & info?
From: Susan-Marie
Date: 14 Oct 97 - 12:20 PM

Cry in Your Sleep is a BEAUTIFUL song. It's in the DT, but the version I learned (from Isle St. Clair) has an additional verse as the second verse:

We stood our heads bowed in prayer

While ?factors? stripped our cottages bare

The smoke climbed the clean mountain air

And many were dead by the morning

I'm not sure if "factors" is right - does anyone else know?

Subject: RE: Highland Clearence songs & info?
From: Jon W.
Date: 14 Oct 97 - 05:33 PM

I took the links posted by Wolfgang to learn about this unfortunate period of history, and found the word "factor" there, so it's correct. Apparently it means the men who were agents of the landlords in "clearing" the tenants off the land.

Subject: RE: Highland Clearence songs & info?
From: Jon W.
Date: 14 Oct 97 - 05:40 PM

To try and answer Barry's question about "The Rape Of Glencoe" - if it's the same song as the one I'm thinking of (which is in DT), what little I've read of that massacre as well as the song itself indicates that it was instigated by King William (William of Orange). So it wouldn't count as a clearance. Also, the death of the MacDonalds was considerably swifter that that of the victims of the clearances, who generally were left faced with the choice of emmigration or starvation.

Subject: RE: Highland Clearence songs & info?
From: Alan of Australia
Date: 16 Oct 97 - 01:22 AM

G'day,
From "The Rape Of Glencoe": "We wined them and dined them, they ate of our meat" -- Well if the McDonalds served them Big Macs I don't blame the Campbells for the massacre.

Cheers,
Alan

Subject: RE: Highland Clearence songs & info?
From: Nonie Rider
Date: 16 Oct 97 - 04:56 PM

So the Campbells were justified in making soup of them?

Subject: RE: Highland Clearence songs & info?
From:
Date: 18 Oct 97 - 04:46 PM

I've got some clearance songs, but they are in Gaelic, from Cape Breton, where many of them went.

Subject: RE: Highland Clearence songs & info?
From: Barry
Date: 18 Oct 97 - 11:26 PM

Thank you all for the info, Wolfgang, thanks for the link, followed it all, very enlighting. Barry

Subject: RE: Highland Clearence songs & info?
From:
Date: 19 Oct 97 - 01:17 AM

Are we getting into a discussion about Highlander the series on TV?

Subject: RE: Highland Clearence songs & info?
From: Barry
Date: 19 Oct 97 - 10:12 PM

Another song I've been fond of over the years is "The Highlander's Lament", after singing it again wondered if this too isn't a clearence song, anyone know? It starts off Thanks again to all. Barry

Subject: RE: Highland Clearence songs & info?
From: Barry
Date: 19 Oct 97 - 10:49 PM

It starts off & then iI did the same thing (?) I just did in another thread, wiped out the verses.

Oh where will I go seek my bread & where will I go wander And where will I go hide my head for here I"ll bide nay longer The winds may blow the seas may roll & swath me round in danger My native land msut forgo & bide the lonely stranger

The glen that was my father own by his must be forsaken And the house that was my father's home is leveled with the braken

The last line there, in light of all that's been said, leveled could come to mean burnt to the ground. Again Thanks Barry

Subject: RE: Highland Clearence songs & info?
From: Barry Finn
Date: 20 Apr 98 - 03:23 PM

refresh

Subject: RE: Highland Clearence songs & info?
From: Bruce O.
Date: 20 Apr 98 - 09:09 PM

Glencoe massacre was over half a cenury before the clearances. The only old Glencoe song I know of is "The Border Widow's Lament" on my website with two tunes (ABC's) for it.

Subject: RE: Highland Clearence songs & info?
From: alison
Date: 21 Apr 98 - 08:47 AM

Hi,

"The rape of Glencoe' is another good old Glencoe song.

Slainte

Alison

Subject: RE: Highland Clearence songs & info?
From: GUEST,Jim McLean
Date: 24 Jul 02 - 06:01 AM

I'm pleased to say that I wrote Smile in your Sleep sometimes known as Hush, Hush and the full set of lyrics can be found on Dick Gaughan's web page. I wrote an LP in 1968/9 for Alastair McDonald on Major Minor, also released on NEVIS Records which included Hush, Hush and the Shores of Sutherland. Other clearance songs written by me on the same LP were The Fire Raisers and Henny Munroe. These were all set to Tradional tunes. My Email is [e-mail] if any one wants information. Cheers, Jim McLean

Subject: RE: Highland Clearence songs & info?
From: Jim McLean
Date: 24 Jul 02 - 08:27 AM

PS Don't cry in your sleep is the same song as Hush, Hush or Smile in your sleep but I see DigiTrad doesn't dredit me! Cheer, Jim Mclean