Lyr Req: The Rising (from The McCalmans)

Subject: Lyr Req: Lyrics for The Rising
From: GUEST,Tim Clark
Date: 29 Jun 04 - 11:43 AM

Can anyone help with the lyrics for a song sung by the McCalmans called The Rising - it was on their album Smuggler. I can only remember a few words of the chorus, which went something like:

"....
There's nought but freedom we would know
If we follow the gallant weaver"

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks

Tim Clark

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Lyrics for The Rising
From: GUEST,weerover
Date: 30 Jun 04 - 02:10 AM

Tim,

I believe I have it somewhere and will search for it when I get home. The song was part of a play about the weaver's rising which I saw (the play, not the rising) in Glasgow in I think the late 70s, with songs performed by the McCalmans. The tune is the same as that used by Robert Burns for "The Gallant Weaver".

wr.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Lyrics for The Rising
From: Jim Dixon
Date: 01 Jul 04 - 09:33 PM

The McCalmans LPs "Smuggler" and "Burn the Witch" have been reissued together as one CD: Castle CD 72124, 2002. There, THE RISING is medleyed with TAMMY TRADDLEFEET. You can hear a sound sample at Amazon.de. I listened but I found it unintelligible. (I was hoping to find a few more words to search for.)

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Lyrics for The Rising (McCalmans)
From: Geoff the Duck
Date: 02 Jul 04 - 04:55 AM

I have a vague recollection of a wordsheet in the original LP.
If I can find my old copy it may answer your question.
Alternatively you could try asking the McCalmans yourself http://www.mccalmans.com/!
There is a lyrics page, but the song you want doesn't appear to be there currently. They have an e-mail address at the bottom of the page.
Quack!!
Geoff the Duck.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Lyrics for The Rising (McCalmans)
From: GUEST,Tim Clark
Date: 02 Jul 04 - 05:17 AM

Thanks for your help guys.

I did look at the Macs website, and having not found it there, tried e mailing them to ask if they could send me the lyrics, but haven't received any reply yet (several months later). Unfortunately, now living in the Midlands, haven't been able to get to see the Macs for several years now (sadly), because they don't seem to venture this far south, so haven't been able to ask them personally either!

With respect to the CD, as I recall, the original recording (on a firend's LP) didn't make the words particularly clear, because I seem to recall him trying to sort out the words without much success!

Hence. still looking, so if anyone cand find the words on wordsheet or elsewhere, I would be eternally grateful!

Regards & thanks agin

Tim

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Lyrics for The Rising (McCalmans)
From: OldPossum
Date: 02 Jul 04 - 06:35 PM

The play called 'The Rising' was written by Hector MacMillan.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Lyrics for The Rising (McCalmans)
From: delphinium
Date: 03 Jul 04 - 03:18 PM

As you say Tim, this is a hard one to catch the words - here's a bit more of what I hear, in hopes that it might jog someone else's memory or help with your search:

Chorus
Say forward lads step heel and toe
A man who fought ... ?
There's nought but freedom we would know
Kin we follow the gallant weavers

Oh the battle by betrayers won
Our country by timeservers run
The fight has barely but begun
For aye 'twas with the weavers

[There's just one more verse, and corrections to the above]

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Lyrics for The Rising (McCalmans)
From: GUEST,weerover
Date: 06 Jul 04 - 08:56 AM

Second line of the chorus:

A man who fought come weel, come woe (i.e. come good or bad)

wr.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Lyrics for The Rising (McCalmans)
From: GUEST
Date: 06 Jul 04 - 11:37 AM

Thanks again for your help all of you.

Have searched on the play by Hector Macmillan, but not found any links to the words of songs.

However, we seem to be making progress gradually - anyone know the rest of the words?

Thanks again, and regards

Tim

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Lyrics for The Rising (McCalmans)
From: Jim McLean
Date: 06 Jul 04 - 12:40 PM

gin not kin

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Lyrics for The Rising (McCalmans)
From: GUEST,Tim Clark
Date: 13 Jul 04 - 08:45 AM

Anyone know the second verse to this song?

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Lyrics for The Rising (McCalmans)
From: GUEST,Billy
Date: 14 Jul 04 - 03:32 PM

Subject: Lyr Add: THE RISING (from the McCalmans)
From: GUEST,Billy
Date: 14 Jul 04 - 03:35 PM

This is as near as I can get listening to the CD.

The Rising

We weaver lads were merry blades
When those who (brook sae weel?)
And when the price o' ilka piece
Would (sae?) a bowl and meal
Then (bogus?) ale for beef and veal
And cash is right wi' everybody
Aye, and every ale has had the smell
O' roast, aye, reekin' toddy

Whack row de dow dow fal al de dal de diddle
Whack row de dow dow fal al de diddle day

Gin times would come like times has gone,
We'd soon be merry-O.
We'd loup and prance and jig and dance
'Til we'd be like tae fa'

And then you'd see, we'd happy be
And every (ait?) we'd ha'e a drink on.
We could laugh and sing 'God Save The King"
And better songs that we could think on.

Whack row de dow dow fal al de dal de diddle
Whack row de dow dow fal al de diddle day
Whack row de dow dow fal al de dal de diddle
Whack row de dow dow fal al de diddle day

CHORUS
Sae forward lads step heel and toe
A man who'd mount, come weel, come woe
There's naught but freedom we would know
Gin we follow the gallant weavers

Oh the battle by betrayers won
Our country by timeservers run
The fight has barely but begun
For aye 'twas wi' the weavers

CHORUS

There's place men (placement?) (hae'd? hate?) oor cause despise
Wha seek tae stem and spirit's rise
But heart and hand, we'll cut such ties
And join the gallant weavers

CHORUS

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Lyrics for The Rising (McCalmans)
From: Wolfgang
Date: 14 Jul 04 - 04:40 PM

Thanks, Billy, this was on my missing list. I couldn't have done as good as you, but I'll listen once more just in case I get an idea.

Wolfgang

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Lyrics for The Rising (McCalmans)
From: Wolfgang
Date: 15 Jul 04 - 04:13 AM

As I thought I couldn't hear any better than you, Billy. In fact, I sometimes even had to listen twice or more to slowly start realising that you may be right in your transcription. The McCalmans are usually beyond my listening abilities.

Let me just add that these are two different songs with different tunes sung one after the other. It starts with 'Tammy Traddlefeet' and ends with 'The Rising'. Tammy has the Whack choruses and Rising starts with the line 'Sae forward lads...'.

Perhaps one thing: I hear 'despite' where Billy has 'despise' but despise makes more sense in the context.

Wolfgang

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Lyrics for The Rising (McCalmans)
From: GUEST,Tim Clark
Date: 15 Jul 04 - 08:08 AM

Thanks guys - I have been trying to get these words for ages, and couldn't work them out.

Should we consider putting them on Digital Tradition if we are fairly confident of them??


Once again, thanks to you all for your contributions

Regards

Tim

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: The Rising (from The McCalmans)
From: GUEST,Mick, FRANCE
Date: 12 Oct 16 - 09:35 AM

While trying to improve on the lyrics above, I came across the first verse of Tammy Treddlefeet on a website @ http://www.monikie.org.uk/journey-dta2.htm#weavers, when clicking on the "Weavers"' link:
"We weaver lads were merry blades when Osnaburgh sell'd weel
An' when the price of ilka piece did pay a bowl of meal:
Then folk got sale for beef and veal for cash was rife wi' everybodie,
An' ilka ale-hoose had the smell o' roas'en pies an' reekin' toddie."

I then reajusted it to the McCalmans' version and made a few more tentative readjustments to the rest of the lyrics, so as to make more sense here and there. Although there remain a few questionable elements, I am satisfied these lyrics are not far from what the McCalmans are actually singing.
So, here's where I stand at the moment:

TAMMY TRADDLEFEET / THE RISING
(Traditional, arranged by McCalman, Moffat, Bayne, MacMillan)

We weaver lads   Were merry blades
When Osnaburg sold weel,
And when the price   O' ilka piece
Would say a bowl o' meal.
Then, folk got sale   For beef and veal,
And cash 's rife wi' everybody.
Aye, and ev'ry alehoose   Had the smell o' roas'en
Pie an' reekin' toddy.

Whack row de dow dow fal al de dal de diddle,
Whack row de dow dow fal al de diddle day.

Gin times would come   Like times has gone,
We'd soon be merry-O.
We'd loup and prance   And jig and dance
'Til we'd be like tae fa'.
And then you'd see,   We'd happy be
And every (ait?) we'd ha'e a drink on.
We could laugh and sing   "God Save The King"
And better songs that we could think on.

Whack row de dow dow fal al de dal de diddle,
Whack row de dow dow fal al de diddle day.

Whack row de dow dow fal al de dal de diddle,
Whack row de dow dow fal al de diddle day.

CHORUS :
Sae, forward, lads, step heel and toe,
(In manhood bound,?) come weel, come woe.
There's naught but freedom we would know,
Gin we follow the gallant weavers.

Oh, the battle by betrayers won,
Our country by timeservers run,
The fight has barely but begun,
For aye 'twas wi' the weavers.

CHORUS

There's p'licemen, (hey, do?) oor cause despise,
Wha seek tae stem (man's?) spirit's rise,
But heart and hand, we'll cut such ties
And join the gallant weavers.

CHORUS

Can anyone improve on that some more? Thanks.

P.S. I thought it might be "p'licemen" in the last verse rather than placement/place men, after reading a detailed account of the 1820 events, explaining that the police force managed to infiltrate the protesters' organisation.