Origins: Freedom Come All Ye (Hamish Henderson)

Subject: Freedom come all ye
From: Håvard
Date: 25 Mar 98 - 05:16 PM

Could anyone help me with a "translation" of Hamish Henderson's grea song "Freedom Come All Ye". It's not all that easy for a Norwegian....
You can find it here:
http://www.mudcat.org/@displaysong.cfm?SongID=2131
Håvard

Subject: Lyr Add: FREEDOM COME AA YE / FREEDOM COME-ALL-YE
From: Jerry Friedman
Date: 25 Mar 98 - 07:57 PM

I should really have a little humility and leaves this for those who know, but I'm going to try it for fun. I've marked the words I'm least sure about with question marks, but that doesn't mean I'm absolutely sure of the rest.

First here's a better if still less comprehensible text, from Dick Gaughan's archives. My translation follows.

FREEDOM COME AA YE

( Words : Hamish Henderson Music : 'The Bloody Fields of Flanders' )

Roch the win i the clear day's dawin
Blaws the clouds heilster-gowdie owre the bay
But there's mair nor a roch win blawin
Thro the Great Glen o the warl the day
It's a thocht that wad gar our roddans
Aa thae rogues that gang gallus fresh an gay
Tak the road an seek ither loanins
Wi thair ill-ploys tae sport an play

Nae mair will our bonnie callants
Merch tae war whan our braggarts crousely craw
Nor wee weans frae pitheid an clachan
Murn the ships sailin doun the Broomielaw
Broken faimilies in lans we've hairriet
Will curse 'Scotlan the Brave' nae mair, nae mair
Black an white ane-til-ither mairriet
Mak the vile barracks o thair maisters bare

Sae come aa ye at hame wi freedom
Never heed whit the houdies croak for Doom
In yer hous aa the bairns o Aidam
Will fin breid, barley-bree an paintit room
Whan MacLean meets wi's friens in Springburn
Aa thae roses an geeans will turn tae blume
An a black laud frae yont Nyanga
Dings the fell gallows o the burghers doun.

©Hamish Henderson

FREEDOM COME-ALL-YE

Roughly the wind in the clear day's dawning
Blows the clouds (helter-skelter?) over the bay
But there's more than a rough wind blowing.
Through the great valley of the world today.
It's a thought that will make our (rotten ones?),
All those rogues that go (?) fresh and gay,
Take the road, and seek other (places?).
For their evil ploys, to have fun and play.

No more will the handsome (young men?)
March to war when our braggarts (?) crow,
Nor little kids from the pithead and (?)
Mourn the ships sailing down the Broomielaw.
Broken families in lands we've harried [= ravaged]
Will curse Scotland the Brave no more, no more;
Black [that's a typo] and white, to each other married,
Make the vile barracks of their masters bare [i.e., the slaves are deserting their masters?].

So come all you [who are?] at home with Freedom,
Never heed what the (crows?) croak for doom.
In your house all the children of Adam
Can find bread, barley-broth and (pleasant?) room.
When Maclean meets with his friends in Springburn,
All the roses and (some kind of flower?) will start to bloom,
And a black lad from beyond Nyanga
Knocks the deadly gallows of the (rich people?) down.

(I assume houdies = hooded crows, the gray, black, and white crows of Scotland (and Norway?) rather than the solid black form of most of England. Also, I think "weans" comes from "wee ones", so "wee weans" would be at least etymologically redundant.)

Subject: RE: Freedom come all ye
From: Jerry Friedman
Date: 27 Mar 98 - 01:07 PM

Gosh, I was hoping my omissions and mistakes would at least draw some corrections. Anyway, "callants" really are young men (or maybe "young fellows" would be better). "Barley-bree" means strong ale (I should have guessed that), and "geans" are a kind of wild cherry tree.

Subject: RE: Freedom come all ye
From: Bill (Scotland)
Date: 28 Mar 98 - 06:36 AM

Jerry:

Good effort at the translation. Hamish Henderson used many old Scots words which are no longer in every day use. Here are some of the words which I know: heilster-gowdie = head over heels rottans = rats gallus = cocky, bravado loanings = roads, streets crousely = roughly, loudly clachan = small hamlet (collection of houses) ye = you hoodies = hooded crows burgers = civil leaders barley-bree = whisky

Cheers Bill

Subject: RE: Freedom come all ye
From: Jerry Friedman
Date: 04 Apr 98 - 01:15 PM

Thanks for the compliment and the glossary, Bill!

Jerry

Subject: RE: Freedom come all ye
From: Murray
Date: 05 Apr 98 - 01:40 AM

A minor correction--I would translate "crousely", which ordinarily means something like "cheerfully" as here more or less "[over-]boldly, eagerly". The "painted room", incidentally, I interpret as "fancy accommodation", and it has a sort of mediaeval air about it. Big John MacLean was a social activist (to put it nicely) on the Clyde in the twenties, as far as I remember.

Subject: RE: Freedom come all ye
From: John Nolan
Date: 05 Apr 98 - 06:29 PM

I was back home in Glasgow, last week, for the funeral of old friend Jimmie Harvie, an 87-year-old stalwart of the Bricklayers' Union, and conscience of the Scottish Labour Party. It was his wish that at the crematorium, Freedom Come All Ye should be sung - and movingly it was too, led off by Gordeanna McCulloch (once of The Clutha) and who now directs Glasgow Socialist Women's Choir. It was Jimmy's feeling, shared by many of us Socialists and left-wing Nationalists, that this song should be Scotland's National Anthem, certainly not the present crap, and not the more popular but slightly racist Flower of Scotland. Incidentlly, at the same service, the mourners (celebrants of Jimmy's great life, really) also sang the Internationale with great fervor.

Subject: RE: Freedom come all ye
From: Wolfgang Hell
Date: 14 Apr 98 - 09:21 AM

This song has been recorded by The Exiles. Wolfgang

Subject: DT Corr: Freedom Come All Ye (Henderson)
From: Joe Offer
Date: 12 Dec 14 - 03:11 AM

As is the case with all Folkways recordings, the 1962 Ding Dong Dollar album is still available at Smithsonian Folkways, and the album notes and lyrics are available for free download. Here are the lyrics from that album's notes, alongside the DT lyrics:

FREEDOM COME ALL YE (Hamish Henderson) For the Glasgow Peace Marchers, May, 1960 Roch the wind in the clear day's dawin Blaws the cloods heelster-gowdie ow'r the bay But there's mair nor a roch wind blawin Through the great glen o' the warld the day. It's a thocht that will gar oor rottans Aa they rogues that gang gallus, fresh and gay Tak the road, and seek ither loanins For their ill ploys, tae sport and play. Nae mair will the bonnie gallants March tae war when oor braggarts crousely craw Nor wee weans frae pit-heid an clachan Mourn the ships sailing doon the Broomielaw, Broken faimlies in lands we herriet Will curse Scotland the Brave nae mair, nae mair; Black and white, ane til ither mairriet, Mak the vile barracks o' thier maisters bare. O come all ye at hame wi freedom, Never heid whit the hoodies croak for doom. In your hoose aa the bairns o Adam Can find breid, barley bree an painted room. When Maclean meets wi's freens in Springburn, A' the roses and geans will turn tae bloom, An a black boy frae yont Nyanga Dings the fell gallows o the burghers doon. Copyright Hamish Henderson @Scottish @freedom @political From Chapbook, vol 3 no 6 tune: Bloody Fields of Flanders filename[ FREECOME TUNE FILE: FREECOME CLICK TO PLAY SOF

FREEDOM COME ALL YE (Digital Tradition) (Hamish Henderson) Roch the wind in the clear days dawin Blows the cloods heelstre-gowdie ow'r the bay But there's mair nor a roch wind blawin Through the great glen o' the warld the day. It's a thocht that will gar oor rottans A' they rogues that gang gallus, fresh and gay Tak the road, and seek ither loanins For their ill ploys, tae sport and play. Nae mair will the bonnie callants Mairch tae war when oor braggarts crousely craw Nor wee weans frae pit-heid and clachan Mourn the ships sailing doon the Broomielaw, Broken faimlies in lands we've herriet Will curse Scotland the Brave nae mair, nae mair; Back and white, ane ti ither mairriet, Mak the vile barracks o' thier maisters bare. O come all ye at hame wi' Freedom, Never heid whit the hoodies croak for doom. In your hoose a' the bairnes o' Adam Can find breid, barley-bree and painted room. When Maclean meets wi's friens in Springburn, A' the roses and geens will turn tae bloom, And a black boy frae yont Nyanga Dings the fell gallows o' the burghers doon. Copyright Hamish Henderson @Scottish @freedom @political From Chapbook, vol 3 no 6 tune: Bloody Fields of Flanders filename[ FREECOME TUNE FILE: FREECOME CLICK TO PLAY SOF

Any corrections to the text on the left side, or is it a good, corrected version to submit to the Digital Tradition?

---

One more thing: Can anyone tell us the story of the writing of this song?
-Joe-

Subject: RE: Origins: Freedom Come All Ye (Hamish Henderson)
From: Dave Hanson
Date: 12 Dec 14 - 03:59 AM

Crousely means ' cowardly '

Dave H

Subject: RE: Origins: Freedom Come All Ye (Hamish Henderson)
From: GUEST,Allan Conn
Date: 12 Dec 14 - 05:23 AM

I don't think to does Dave.

The Concise Scots Dictioary defines "crouse" as exactly the opposite of 'cowardly' suggesting in its first definition it means bold or courageous. However it then gives further definitions which include "cenceited, arrogant and proud". The lyric in the song "crousely craw" to me reads as "arrogantly or proudly crow".

The Chambers Scots Dictionary of 1911 defines "crousely" as "proudly, confidently, boldly etc"

Neither diction mentions cowardly

Subject: RE: Origins: Freedom Come All Ye (Hamish Henderson)
From: Dave Hanson
Date: 12 Dec 14 - 08:36 AM

Fair enough, I must have mis-heard or misread it.

Dave H

Subject: RE: Origins: Freedom Come All Ye (Hamish Henderson)
From: GUEST,Anne Neilson
Date: 12 Dec 14 - 08:39 AM

Joe, it's my understanding that the song was written following an important speech by politician Harold MacMillan in 1959 when he spoke of the 'wind of change' that was blowing over Africa as former colonies gained independence -- which then makes more sense of the final couple of the lines about the 'black boy frae yont Nyanga' (a South African township, I believe).

And while I'd love to be singing it as a Scottish anthem, I've always thought of it as a song of international solidarity.

Finally, I love the line which offers 'breid, barley bree and painted room' as necessary hospitality -- sustenance, conviviality and beauty/culture.

Subject: RE: Origins: Freedom Come All Ye (Hamish Henderson)
From: GUEST,#
Date: 12 Dec 14 - 09:39 AM

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=89YOvmcRdf0

Strong rendition there. Beautiful song.

Subject: RE: Origins: Freedom Come All Ye (Hamish Henderson)
From: Tattie Bogle
Date: 12 Dec 14 - 11:04 AM

I had heard a speculation that "the black boy frae yont Nyanga" actually referred to Nelson Mandela and the song was written at the time of his anti-apartheid activities (Nyanga was prominent in this) - which eventually led to his imprisonment in 1962. Nyanga is one of the townships around Cape Town, then and now "one of the most dangerous places in the world".
However, according to other sources, the song was NOT about Mandela, but Hamish Henderson did write about him in the "men of Rivonia" - referring to Mandela's trial.

Subject: RE: Origins: Freedom Come All Ye (Hamish Henderson)
From: GUEST,Fred McCormick
Date: 12 Dec 14 - 11:44 AM

It's a wonderful song and one of which I am immensely fond. In fact it moves me to tears every time I hear it - as much for its humanist/communist/pacifist message as for its plea for the right of the Scots to be Scottish; and to have their own country back.

The problem is that the song is virtually untranslatable into English without the text losing its pungency. EG., heelster-gowdie can, I believe, be correctly translated as head over heels. But who would want to shove such a banal phrase into such a powerful anthem?

Nevertheless, and despite being English, I have been known to sing it, on anniversaries of Auld Hamish's death for instance, and more recently when the Scots forgot that they are the sons and daughters of Wallace and let us all down by voting no in the referendum.

Actually, there is one change I felt obliged to make. I sing the penultimate line as "And our comrades frae yont Nyanga". A change which I'm sure Hamish would have approved.

Subject: RE: Origins: Freedom Come All Ye (Hamish Henderson)
From: Joe Offer
Date: 12 Dec 14 - 12:40 PM

We want to publish this song in the upcoming Rise Again songbook. Whom would we contact for permission to publish?

-Joe-

Subject: RE: Origins: Freedom Come All Ye (Hamish Henderson)
From: Jim McLean
Date: 13 Dec 14 - 04:32 AM

We first recorded the song, sung by Jack O'Connor, in Morris Blythman's living room, Glasgow, on an old EMI tape recorder. Pete Seeger took the tapes to Mo Ash of Folkways and it was issued on the LP Ding, Dong, Dollar.
The pipe tune Hamish set his lyrics to, The Bloody Field of Flanders, was composed by John A MacLellan who died in 1980 so it is still in copyright.
I suggest, Joe, that you contact the School of Scottish Studies, Edinburgh, for details. Or maybe Jack Campin knows.

Subject: RE: Origins: Freedom Come All Ye (Hamish Henderson)
From: GUEST,Anne Neilson
Date: 13 Dec 14 - 10:14 AM

Joe, further to Jim's suggestion (because the School of Scottish Studies no longer exists per se, having been subsumed into the Department of Celtic Studies -- I think), a quicker way might be to approach either Steve Byrne or Chris Wright via the Kist o Riches website.

Each of these admirable chaps has been involved in the work to preserve Hamish's archive, and would also be able to put you in touch with Hamish's widow.

Subject: RE: Origins: Freedom Come All Ye (Hamish Henderson)
From: GUEST,henryp
Date: 13 Dec 14 - 11:19 AM

From the Scottish Poetry Library website;

http://www.scottishpoetrylibrary.org.uk/poetry/poets/hamish-henderson

Hamish Henderson (1919 - 2002)

Copyright; Held by the Hamish Henderson Estate – please contact the SPL.

Subject: RE: Origins: Freedom Come All Ye (Hamish Henderson)
From: GUEST,Chris Wright
Date: 14 Dec 14 - 08:30 AM

Hi Joe,

We can help obtain permission for your use of FCaY via the Henderson estate as Anne suggests - just drop us a line at info (at) hendersontrust (dot) org.

Thanks,

Chris

Subject: RE: Origins: Freedom Come All Ye (Hamish Henderson)
From: GUEST,Ewan McVicar
Date: 14 Dec 14 - 05:31 PM

Following comes from www[dot]sangstories[dot]webs[dot]com, Freedom Come All ye page.
Ewan

Gordeanna McCulloch taught this song at Sangschule and told us that since the pipe tune to which it is sung, "The Bloody Fields O Flanders", is a retreat, it should be taken at a brisk pace. She pointed out the importance for many Scots of Henderson's vision of a Scotland free of corruption, no longer an oppressor in other countries, and the home of freedom for everyone.

The song's first appearance in print is probably in a sixpenny booklet of anti-Polaris songs from 1961, where it is labelled "For the Glasgow peace marchers, May 1960."

Gordeanna also told us of an idea beginning to circulate that the lines "And a black boy frae yont Nyanga / Dings the fell gallows o the burghers doon" are about Mandela, although she herself was not sure of this.

Ewan McVicar in The Eskimo Republic – Scots Political Song In Action 1951-1999 says that he asked Hamish Henderson about the line shortly before his death and that Hamish could not at that time recall any specific person or event that had occasioned it. McVicar goes on to say that while there were political riots in Cape Town in 1960 at the same time as the more famous Sharpeville riots, Mandela himself could not have been there. "Mandela's home area is hundreds of miles away on the other side of South Africa from Cape Town, where maps record no place named Nyanga, he worked in Johannesburg, and in 1960 he was not permitted to travel in his own country."

Adam McNaughtan wrote about this song in Chapman 42 of winter 1985 as the greatest work to come out of the anti-Polaris campaign –and the most sung of Henderson's songs in folk-clubs, in spite of the fact that the language is furthest from the everyday speech of the singers and audiences. He describes the language as "a tight-packed literary Scots with folksong phrases embedded in it: 'heelster-gowdie' from 'McGinty's Meal-and Ale'; the rottans that McFarlane flegged frae the toon; the most appropriate 'Afore I wad work I wad rather sport and play'; the 'crouse crawin' from 'Willie MacIntosh'; the repeated 'Nae mair' recalling the 'No more' of Jeannie Robertson's 'MacCrimmon's Lament'; the 'pentit room' of 'King Fareweel'."

However McNaughtan thinks that those who suggest it for a national anthem are making a mistake about the song or about the nature of national anthems which need "to please all sections of a population" and avoid comment on current politics. Henderson on the other hand is looking to a socialist Utopia which will sweep away the "war-mongering capitalist 'rottans'" and the "long tradition of using people as cannon- and gallows-fodder in Scotland and in the Third World where the last line prophesies the Revolt will begin."

Subject: RE: Origins: Freedom Come All Ye (Hamish Henderson)
From: GUEST,Ewan McVicar
Date: 14 Dec 14 - 05:54 PM

Joe asks about the making of the song.
Cannot just now track down the description, but somewhere is an recollection by Hamish's widow Katzel of him pacing up and down in their Edinburgh flat as he made the lines in late 1959 or early 1960. Timothy Neat in par two of his biography of Hamish tells how he completed the last four lines in January 1960, on a train ride from Strichen to Aberdeen, on his way back from a sympathy visit to Kenny Goldstein and family.
But as said above, the first publication note says 'May, 1960'. Certainly it was for the peace marchers - I think for the Committee of 100, who preceded the forming of the Campaign For Nuclear Disarmament [CND].