Hannah R writes: When looking for a song for the project, I knew I was interested in finding one that touched on separation from Scotland. This resonated with my own life, as I moved from Edinburgh to North America in my late teens and live there still. I stumbled upon this Robert Burns poem, which was first printed in The Scots Musical Museum in 1796. This is a Jacobite song about the first rising of 1715, in which a defeated soldier must leave his love and go into exile in Ireland. The song has been recorded many times before, but I decided to set the poem to my own melody. The last two verses are from the lover's perspective as soldiers begin to return to Scotland. But her loved one does not come back. She is physically and emotionally separated from him, never to see him again.
credits
from Songs of Separation,
released January 29, 2016
Music by Hannah Read and lyrics by Robert Burns public domain arranged by Jenny Hill, Mary Macmaster, Karine Polwart, Hannah Read, Rowan Rheingans
supported by 6 fans who also own “It Was A' For Our Rightfu' King”
a friend introduced me to this album two winters ago, and it's very quickly become a staple in my household (it isn't the holiday season until sing we all merrily plays).
the tracks that particularly strike me though are heading for home, the bear song, and the old churchyard - the way the world cycles on, the turning of the wheel, life and death in a beautiful dance. we could despair that our time is short, but we seek joy and love again and again.
I love this album. sophie
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