Who Put the Blood

(Trad. Arr. Karan Casey/Ted Barnes/Donald Shaw(MCPS))

Where have you been all along summer's day
Son tell it unto me
A fishing and a fowling in the fields and in the forest
I am weary mother let me be
I am weary mother let me be

Who put the blood on your right shoulder
Son tell it unto me
‘Its the blood of a hare that I killed yesterday
I killed most manfully
I killed most manfully

The blood of a hare it would never be so red
Son tell it unto me
It's the blood of a boy that I killed yesterday
I killed most manfully
I killed most manfully

What was between yourself and the boy
Son tell it unto me
It was mostly the cutting down of a rod
That never would come to a tree
That never would come to a tree

What will you do when your daddy finds out
Son tell it unto me
I will put my foot on board of a ship and sail away
Sail to a foreign country
And sail to a foreign country

What will you do with your lovely wedded wife
Son tell it unto me
She can put her foot onboard of a ship and follow me
Follow after me
Follow after me

What will you do with your two fine babes
Son tell it unto me
I'll give one to my father and the other to my mother
To keep them company
To keep them company

What will you do with your house and your lands
Son tell it unto me
I will lay them bare to the birds and the air
There's no more welcome for me
There's no more welcome for me

What will you do in the Winter of your life
Son tell it unto me
Like a sally in the rock I will bend in the wind
And pray for the Gods mercy
Oh and pray for the Gods mercy

Thank you to Aine Ui Cheallaigh in Ring, Co., Waterford, for singing this song to me a few years back.

Guitar, bouzouki & ebu - Ted Barnes
Keyboards - Donald Shaw
Double Bass - Ewan Vernal
Djembe & percussion - James Mackintosh
Additonal guitar - Robbie Overson
Bb Flute - Michael McGoldrick

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The King's Shilling

(Iain Sinclair)

Oh my love has left me with bairnes twa
And that's the last of him I ever saw
He's joined the army and marched to war
He took the shilling
He took the shilling and he’s off to war

Come laddies come, hear the cannons roar
Take the King's shilling and you’re off to war

Well did he look as he marched along
With his kilt and sporran and his musket gun
And the ladies tipped him as he marched along
He sailed out by
He sailed out by the Broomielaw

The pipes did play as he marched along
And the soldiers sang out a battle song
"March on, march on," cried the Captain gay
And for King and country
For King and country we will fight today

Come laddies come, hear the cannons roar
Take the King's shilling and we're off to war

The battle rattled to the sound of guns
And the bayonets flashed in the morning sun
The drums did beat and the cannons roared
And the shilling didn't seem
The shilling didn't seem much worth the war

Come laddies come, hear the cannons roar
Take the King's shilling and we're off to war

Well the men they fought and the men did fall
Cut down by bayonets and musket ball
And many of these brave young men
Would never fight for
Would never fight for the King again

Come laddies come, hear the cannons roar
Take the King's shilling and we're off to war
Come laddies come, hear the cannons roar
Take the King's shilling and you’ll die in war

I’ve always liked the gentle heartache to this song which I got from Frank Harte.

Guitar - Ted Barnes
Accordion – Donald Shaw
Double Bass – Ewan Vernal

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Weary from Lying Alone

(Trad. Arr. Karan Casey/Donald Shaw (MCPS))

One evening of late as I carelessly strayed
I espied a fair maid in deep mourn
asked her the matter, she quickly made answer
I am weary from lying alone, alone
I am weary from lying alone

My comely young damsel come down here alongside me
And tell me of the years that have a flown
For seven long gone and eleven years around
I am weary from lying alone, alone
I am weary from lying alone

If I got a comely young man who would take me without fortune
And make me a wife of his very own
For the truth is I’ll say is, I’ll die in despair
If I lie any longer alone, alone
If I lie any longer alone

There’s a neat sweet li’l flower in this garden alongside me
Take it away sure it is all but your own
For the flower it will fade and so also will the maid
For she’s weary from lying alone, alone
For she’s weary from lying alone.

This is a song I learnt from the exquisite singing of Iarla O Lionaird.

Keyboards - Donald Shaw

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Éirigh Suas a Stóirín

(Trad. Arr. Karan Casey/Robbie Overson)

Éirigh suas a stóirín mura bfhuil tú 'do shuí
Oscail an doras agus lig mise chun ti
Tá buidéal im' aice bhéarfas deoch do mhnaoi an tí
Agus tá súil agam nach ndiúltaíonn tú mé fá do iníon

Nuair a éirím amach ar maidin agus dearcaim uaim siar
Is dearcaim ar a'bhaile úd a bhfuil agam le dul ann
Titeann na deóra ina sróite liom síos
Agus nímse míle osna bíos cosúil le cumhaidh

I ngleanntan coilleadh uagní is lag brónach a bím
Ó Dhomhnach go Domhnach 's mé ag cathamh mo shaoil
'smé ag feitheamh gach trathnóna ce rachadh 'na ród no cé thiocfadh 'n tí
'S gan duine ar an domhan mhór a thógfadh mo chroí

Nach aoibhinn don éanlaith a éiríos gach lá
‘S a luíos arís ar an aonchraoibh amháin
Ní h’é sin dom féin ‘s do mo chéad mhíle grá
Is i bhfad i bhfad ó chéile bíos ár n-éirí gach lá

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Rise up, my Love

(Translation)

Rise up, my love, if you’re still in bed lying
Open the door that I might come and recline
By my side I’ve a bottle that I’ve brought for your mother
And I hope she’ll allow it that you shall be mine

When I rise in the morning and look o’er the way
And I look at the place where I’ll spend the long day
The tears fall in streams down my two cheeks like rain
And many’s the time that I sigh for that maid

In the thick wooded glen I live there in loneliness
From Sunday to Sunday spending time on my own
The coming and going I watch o’er the road-way
And nothing in this wide world will lift up my heart

Isn’t it great for the birds that rise up every morning
And roost with each other on the same bush or spray
But that’s not how it is for both me and my true-love
For it’s far from each other that we rise every day

Lupeta Sheehan taught this to me many
moons ago and Mairghead Ni Dhomhnaill’s
beautiful rendition of it has greatly influenced
my own version.

Guitar – Robbie Overson
Concertina – Niall Vallely
Flute – Michael McGoldrick

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Eppie Morrie

(Trad Arr. Karan Casey/John Doyle)

Four-and-twenty Highland men
Came from the Carron side
To steal away Eppie Morrie
Cause she wouldn't be a bride, a bride
She wouldn't be a bride

Then out it's came her mother then
It was a moonlit night
She couldn't see her daughter
For the moon it shone so bright, so bright
The moon it shone so bright

They've taken Eppie Morrie
And a horse they've bound her on
And they're away to Carron side
As fast as horse could gang, could gang
As fast as horse could gang

And Willie's taken his pistol out
And put it to the minister’s breast
O marry me, marry me, minister
Or else I'll be your priest, your priest
Or else I'll be your priest

Haud away from me, Willie
Haud away from me
There's not a man in all Strathdon
Shall wedded be by me, by me
Shall wedded be by me

Then mass was sung and bells were rung
And they're away to bed
And Willie and Eppie Morrie
In one bed they were laid, were laid
In one bed they were laid

He's taken the shirt from off his back
And kicked away his shoes
And thrown away the chamber key
And naked he lay down, lay down
And naked he lay down

He's kissed her on the lily breast
And held her shoulders twa
But aye she gat and aye she spat
And turned to the wa', the wa'
And turned to the wa'

They wrestled there all through the night
Before the break of day
But aye she gat and aye she spat
But he could not stretch her spey,
He could not stretch her spey

Haud away from me, Willie,
Haud away from me
There's not a man in all Strathdon
Shall wedded be by me, by me
Shall wedded be by me

Then early in the morning
Before the light of day
In came the maid of Scallater
In gown and shirt alone, alone
In a gown and shirt alone

Get up, get up, young woman
And take a drink with me
You might have called me maiden
For I'm as whole as thee, as thee
For I'm as whole as thee.

Then in there came young Breadalbane
With a pistol on his side
O, come away, Eppie Morrie
And I'll make you my bride, my bride
And l'll make you my bride

Go get to me a horse, Willie
Get it like a man
And send me back to my mother
A maiden as I came, I came
A maiden as I came

Haud away from me, Willie
Haud away from me
There's not a man in all Strathdon
Shall wedded be by me, by me
Shall wedded be with me

Haud away from me, Willie
Haud away from me
There's not a man in all Strathdon
Shall wedded be by me, by me
Shall wedded be by me

Thank you to Tony Cuffe for the long
version of this song. I first heard Peggy Seeger and
Ewan McColl do it.

Guitar & backing vocals - John Doyle
Bass – Ewan Vernal
Concertina – Niall Vallely
Bodhran – Frank Torpey
Keyboards - Donald Sha w

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Strange Fruit

(Louis Allen)

Southern trees bearing strange fruit
Blood on the leaves and blood at the root
Black bodies swinging in the southern breeze
Strange fruit hanging from the poplar trees

Pastoral scene of the gallant south
Them big bulging eyes and the twisted mouth
Scent of magnolias, sweet and fresh
Then the sudden smell of burning flesh

Here is fruit for the crows to pluck
For the rain to gather, for the winds to suck
For the sun to rot, for the trees to drop
Here is a strange and bitter crop

I learnt this song from the singing of Billie Holiday and the great champion of the Black Civil Rights movement Nina Simone.

Keyboard – Donald Shaw

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Where Are You Tonight I Wonder

By Andy M. Stewart, Arr. Karan Casey/Donald Shaw (MCPS)

Where are you tonight I wonder
Where will you be tonight when I cry
Will sleep for you come easy
Whilst I alone can't slumber
Will you welcome the morning
At another man's side

How easy for you the years have slipped under
And left me with a shadow the sun can't dispel
For I built for you a tower full of love and admiration
But I built it so high I could not reach it myself

The view from my window is a world full of sadness
The face in my mirror is the one face I know
You have taken all that's in me, so my heart is in no danger
My heart is in no danger, but I'd still like to know

Where are you tonight I wonder
Where will you be tonight when I cry
Will sleep for you come easy,
Whilst I alone can't slumber
Will you welcome the morning
At another man's side

There is a silence and it cannot be broken
There is a pure heart and it’s there I will go
Time will work its healing and my spirit will grow stronger
But in the meantime I would still like to know.

Where are you tonight I wonder
And where will you be tonight when I cry
Will sleep for you come easy
Whilst I alone can't slumber
Will you welcome the morning
At another man's side

I learnt this from the singing of June Tabor.

Thanks to Phil Cunningham, Donald Shaw and
Robbie Overson for teaching me how to sing it in 3/4!

Piano: Donald Shaw
Fiddles: Dezi Donnelly

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Buile Mo Chroí

Music - John Spillane, Words - Louis De Paor. (Arr. Karan Casey/Donald Shaw/Robbie Overson/Mike McGoldrick)

An gcloiseann tú bualadh mo chroí
Buile mo chroí
Greadadh mo chroí
An gcloiseann tú greadadh mo chroí

Are you hearing the beat of my heart
The bang of my heart
The scrape of my heart
Are you hearing the scrape of my heart

An mbraitheann tú cuisle mo chroí
I dtearmann do lámha
I ngéibheann do ghrá
An mbraitheann tú cuisle mo chroí

Are you feeling the pulse of my heart
In the palm of your hand
In the jail of your love
Are you feeling the pulse of my heart

Tá botún sa tsaol
Nach maithim do Dhia
An ghrian i do shúil
Ag teacht idir mé agus solas an lae
Tá botún sa tsaol

There’s a fault in this world
And I won’t forgive God
The sun in your eye
That comes between me and the light of the sky
There’s a fault in this world

An gcloiseann tú bualadh mo chroí
Buile mo chroí
Briseadh mo chroí
An gcloiseann tú briseadh mo chroí

Are you hearing the beat of my heart
The pain of my heart
The break of my heart
Are you hearing the break of my heart

Tá cóta an athar
Ró-mhór dá mhac
A bhróga caite
Ar chosa mo mhic
Ag bualadh mo chroí
Greadadh mo chroí
Stracadh mo chroí
An mbraitheann tú caitheamh mo chroí

Your old man’s coat
Is too big for you boy
His worn out shoes
On the feet of my son
Kicking my heart
Breaking my heart
A tearing my heart
Are you wearing the tear of my heart

Tá cóta an athar
Ró-mhór dá mhac
A bhróga caite
Ar chosa mo mhic
Ag bualadh mo chroí
Greadadh mo chroí
Stracadh mo chroí
An mbraitheann tú caitheamh mo chroí

Your old man’s coat
Is too big for you boy
His worn out shoes
On the feet of my son
Kicking my heart
Breaking my heart
A tearing my heart
Are you wearing the tear of my heart

Sioscadh mo chroí
Doirteadh mo chroí,
An gcloiseann tú doirteadh mo chroí
Ciúnas mo chroí
Uaigneas mo chroí
An gcloiseann tú uaigneas mo chroí
Cogar a chroí

Guitar - Robbie Overson
Double Bass -Ewan Vernal
Keyboards - Donald Shaw
Bodhran – Frank Torpey
Djembe & percussion - James Mackintosh
Pipes - Michael McGoldrick
Fiddle - Dezi Donnelly

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You Brought Me Up

Music - John Spillane, Words - Louis De Paor
(Arr. Karan Casey/Robbie Overson)

You brought me up and out of the water
You brought me up to forget
I had ever been, I could ever breathe
In the water under your heart

I darkened your door and your days you said
You couldn’t sleep the night
With the sound of the sea hard on my heels
Climbing the stairs to your bed

You promised me gloves from the skins of the fishes
The smile of the dolphin for a ring in my hands
But you left me with nothing but a mouthful of air
And promises wide as the ocean

You left me down for once and for all
You left me out in the open
Under mackerel skies, high and dry
And out of the reach of our sea

Way out of reach and out of my depth
I wear your love like a skin
That hurts when anyone touches me
Where you left me down
For once and for all
Way out of reach of our sea

You promised me gloves from the skins of the fishes
The smile of the dolphin for a ring in my hands
But you left me with nothing but a mouthful of air
And promises wide as the ocean

You brought me up and out of the water
You brought me up to forget
I had ever been, I could ever breathe
In the water under your heart

Thank you to John Spillane and Louis De Paor (the gaelic-hit factory) for all their great songs and poems.

Guitar - Robbie Overson
Fiddle - Dezi Donnelly
Accordion - Donald Shaw

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The Snows They Melt The Soonest

(Trad. Arr. Karan Casey/Robbie Overson)

The snows they melt the soonest when the winds begin to sing
And the corn it ripens fastest as the frosts are settling in
And when a young man tells me that my face he'll soon forget
Before we part I'll wage a bet he'll be fain to follow it yet

The snows they melt the soonest when the winds begin to sing
And the swallow flies without a thought as long as it is spring
When springtime goes and winter blows, my lad, and you'll be fain
With all your pride to follow me across the stormy main

The snows they melt the soonest when the winds begin to sing
And the bee that flew in summertime in winter it will not sting
I've seen a woman's anger melt between the night and morn
It's surely not a harder thing to melt a woman's scorn

So never bid me farewell for no farewell I'll receive
You will lie with me, my love, and kiss and take your leave
And I'll wait here till the woodcock calls and the marten takes it's wing
For the snows they melt the soonest when the winds begin to sing

I learnt this song from the singing of Annie Briggs and Dick Gaughan.

Guitar - Robbie Overson
Ebu - Ted Barnes
Cellos - Alison Lawrence

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The Liberty Tree

(Trad. Arr. Karan Casey/Donald Shaw (MCPS))

It was the year of ’93
The French did plant an olive tree
The symbol of great liberty
And the people danced around it
O wasn’t I telling you,
The French declared courageously
That Equality, Freedom and Fraternity
Would be the cry of every nation

In ’94 a new campaign
The tools of darkness did maintain
Gall’s brave sons they did form a league
And their foes they were dumb-founded
They gave to Flanders liberty
And all its people they set free
The Dutch and Austrians home did flee
And the Dukes they were confounded

Behold may all of human-kind
Emancipated with the French combine
May laurels green all on them shine
And their sons and daughters long wear them
May every tyrant shake with dread
And tremble for their guilty head
May the Fleur-de-Lis in dust be laid
And they no longer wear them

For Church and State in close embrace
Is the burden of the Human Race
And the people tell you to your face
That you will long repent it
For Kings in power and preaching drones
Are the cause of all your heavy groans
Down from your pulpits, down from your thrones
You will tumble unlamented.
O wasn’t I telling you,
The French declared courageously
That Equality, Freedom and Fraternity
Would be the cry of every nation

I got this from the singing of Len Graham.

Piano - Donald Shaw

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