This is a recording of one of my favourite Scots Border songs, by Sir Walter Scott, the story of John Scott of Hassendean and his English runaway bride from Westmorland.
singer
songwriter
acoustic
folk
british
guitarist
song
celtic
traditional
fingerstyle
scottish
scotland
guitar
kelso
Story behind the song
The song picture by Ailsa, my daughter, shows the precarious view over Hassendean (Hazeldean) from Fatlips Castle near Minto in the Teviot Valley. The prospective daughter-in-law of Lord Errington, from Langley Dale on the western English border march, eloped with Sir John Scott (Jock) of Hassendean on the Scots side instead. Sir Walter Scott wrote the song for his daughter Sophie to play on harp and guitar, which she learned. My arrangement includes a guitar version of the harp/piano introduction written for the song at the time.
The song was recorded using the first new Blondel II travel cittern-guitar delivered by my Romanian makers in 2007. This has no steel in the neck, but a three-part maple and acacia laminate, plus a sonokeling rosewood fingerboard and a classical style rosewood bridge. Ths instrument is 150 grams lighter than the original Blondel. The tuning is drop D and the vocal mic is an ACK C2000B, the guitar is picked up by two Behringer C2s. My Roland VS880 was adapted to use CompactFlash cards for this recording, email my if you are curious!
Lyrics
Why weep ye by the tide, lady?
Why weep ye by the tide?
I'll wed ye to my youngest son,
And ye shall be his bride!
Ye shall be his bride, ladie, sae comely tae be seen!
But aye she loot the tear doon fa', fer Jock o'Hazeldean
Now let this wilfu' grief be done,
And wipe yer cheek sae pale!
Young Frank is Chief of Errington
And lord o' Langley Dale.
His step is first in peacefu' ha'
His sword in battle keen!
But aye she loot the tear doon fa' fer Jock o'Hazeldean
For chains of gowd ye shall not lack
Nor braid to bind yer hair!
Nor mettled hound, nor managed hawk,
Nor palfrey fresh and fair!
And you the foremost of them all will ride, our Forest Queen!
But aye she loot the tear doon fa', fer Jock 'Hazeldean
The church (alt - kirk) was decked at morningtide
The tapers glimmered fair
The priest and bridegroom wait the bride
Both dame and knight are there
They seek her baith in ha' and bower
The lady isnae seen!
She's owr the border and awa' wi Jock o'Hazeldean!