This is a ballad on the life and death of John Armstrong, 'Black Jock', the laird of Gilnockie and notorious thief and reiver, hanged by James V of Scotland in 1530 on the field of Carlinrig high above Hawick town.
singer
songwriter
acoustic
folk
british
guitarist
song
celtic
traditional
fingerstyle
scottish
scotland
guitar
kelso
Story behind the song
This song has been a sort of part-completed thing in my head for several years. In March 2003, I was asked to take part in a concert to launch the first Hawick Reivers' Festival, and decided to complete it. The words given here are what it should be; what I sing tends to vary a little, down to the order of lines or even or verses. This is recorded entirely using inexpensive musical instruments made in Romania - a 12-string acoustic-electric guitar, a long scale acoustic-electric bass, and a bouzouki fitted with a Pickup The World internal pickup. The microphone was also very low cost, a Chinese made SE-1 costing $99. It is put through a Joe Meek VC-3 compressor and enhancer, and because of the rather 'electric' feel of this recording, I've happily let rip with reverb!
Glossary - reivin' is stealing, mainly cattle rustling but also housebreaking and arson and murder (etc). Black kye are the local black cattle. The moss is the boggy land on top of the Border hills; the muir is dryer land. The 'hot trod' was the legimitate pursuit of reivers by the wronged party, riding in horseback with a burning turf held aloft on a spear - this gave them the right to cross the border with impunity, to recover their goods (either way).
Lyrics
Lyrics
Johnny he's a ridin', a reivin', a ridin'
Johnny he's a ridin', out owr moss and muir
Nane kens whaur he's hidin'
The black kye that he's drivin'
Secret paths a'guidin'
Them hamewards oer the muir
(opening lines repeated as a chorus each time)
Mony a widow leavin'
A-greetin and a-greivin'
Lamenting her bereavin'
That Jock came oer the muir
He's set the thatch a burnin'
Before he's homeward turnin'
Hard lessons for the learnin'
When Jock rides oer the muir!
The hot trod canna catch him
Though they swift despatch them
Nae English horse can match him
Ridin' oer the muir
The king has come to find him
Tae tak' him and to bind him
Tae tie his haunds behind him
And hang him oer the muir
Now Johnny's no more ridin'
No reivin', no ridin'
Johnny's no more ridin'
Out ower the moss and muir!
But his ghost is still hiding
The black kye that he's drivin'
By secret dark pools bidin'
Upon the moss and muir!
(etc to finish)