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  • Compact Disc (CD) + Digital Album

    If you pre-order the album you will receive tour copy or The Ledger as soon as we get them, sign them, put them in envelopes and post them.... at least 3 months before the official release date. The CD comes in a gatefold case with a 24 page colour booklet containing excerpts of the Norman Buchan "Scotsman" articles taken from the real ledger. All this designed by the wonderful Elly Lucas.

    Includes unlimited streaming of The Ledger via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality download in MP3, FLAC and more.
    ships out within 28 days

      £15 GBP or more 

     

  • Streaming + Download

    Includes unlimited streaming via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality download in MP3, FLAC and more.

    The download includes a copy of the booklet containing information from The Ledger about each the of tracks.
    Purchasable with gift card

      £10 GBP  or more

     

1.
Hie upon Hielands and laigh upon Tay Bonnie George Campbell rade oot on a day Saddled and bridled and booted rade he Hame cam his guid horse but never cam he. Saddled and booted and bridled rade he A plume tae his helmet, a sword at his knee But toom cam his saddle a bluidy tae see Hame cam his guid horse but never cam he. Doon cam his auld mother, greetin fu sair Oot cam his bonnie wife rivin her hair “My meadow lies green and my corn is unshorn My barn is tae big and my baby unborn”. Hie upon Hielands and laigh upon Tay Bonnie George Campbell rade oot on a day Saddled and bridled and booted rade he Hame cam his guid horse but never cam he Hame cam his guid horse but never cam he.
2.
Gin ye’ll marry me lassie At the kirk o’ Burnie Bushel ‘Till the day ye dee lassie Ye will ne’er repent it Ye will wear when ye are wed A kirtle and a heiland plaid And sleep upon a heather bed Sae couthy an’ sae canty Ye will gang sae braw lassie Tae the kirk o Birnie Bushel Little brogues an’ a’ lassie Vow but ye’ll be canty A’ll hunt the otter an’ the brock The hart, the hare, the heather cock A’ll pu’ ye limpets frae the rock Tae mak the dishes dainty Gin ye’ll marry me lassie At the kirk o’ Burnie Bushel ‘Till the day ye dee lassie Ye will ne’er repent it Gin ye’ll marry me lassie At the kirk o’ Burnie Bushel ‘Till the day ye dee lassie Ye will ne’er repent it
3.
Baloo baleery, Baloo baleery, Baloo baleery, Baloo balee Gang awa perrie fairies Gang awa perrie fairies Gang awa perrie fairies Frae oor bairn noo Noo come bonny angels Noo come bonny angels Come bonny angels Tae oor bairn noo They’ll shine ower the cradle They’ll shine ower the cradle They’ll shine ower the cradle O oor bairn noo
4.
Come all you gallant poacher lads that ramble void of care That walk out on a moonlit night with your dog, you gun, your snare The harmless hare and pheasant you have at your command Not thinking on your last career upon Van Diemen’s Land Twas poor Jack Brown from Glasgow, Will Guthrie and Munro They were three daring poachers the country well did know The keepers caught them hunting, all with their guns in hand For thirteen years transported unto Van Dieman’s Land The very day we landed upon that fatal shore The settlers they came round us, some forty score or more They herded us like cattle, sold us out of hand And yolked us to the plough my boys to plough Van Dieman’s land Although the poor of Scotland do labour and do toil They’re robbed of every blessing and produce of the soil Your proud imperious landlords, i-f you break their commands They’ll send you on the British hulks to plough Van Dieman’s land Come all you gallant poacher lads that ramble void of care That walk out on a moonlit night with your dog, you gun, your snare The harmless hare and pheasant you have at your command Not thinking on your last career upon Van Diemen’s Land
5.
It fell about the Martinmas time, when the green leaves were doon fallin That Sir John the Grahame from the West Countrie, fell in love wi Barbara Allan He sent his men down through the town To the place where she was dwellin O haste and come to ma maister dear, gin ye be Barbara Allan O hooly, hooly she rose up, till she cam where he was lyin An’ when she drew the curtains roun, Said “Young man I think ye’re dyin” “I am sick and very very sick, an’ it’s a’ for Barbara Allan.” “But the better for me ye ne’er shall be, though your heart’s blood were a-spillin.” “Don’t you mind young man.” She said “When in the taven calling, Ye made the toast gang roun and roun, but ye slighted Barbara Allan” “A kiss o you would do me good, my bonnie Barbara Allan” “But a kiss o me ye canna get, though your heart’s blood were a-spillin.” He’s turned his face untae the wa’, for death was wi him dealin Said ”Fare ye weel my kind friends a’, but be kind to Barbara Allan” “Put in your han at my bedside, an there you’ll find a warran Wi my gold watch an my prayer book, gie that to Barbara Allan” “Put in your hand at my bedside an there you’ll find a warran. An’ a napkin fu’l o’ my hairt’s blood, gie that to Barbara Allan” Slowly, slowly rose she up, an’ slowly slowly left him An’ sighing said, she couldna stay, since the death o life had reft him She hadna gane a mile but ane, when she heard dead bell knellin An ilka toll that the dead bell gae said woe to Barbara Allan Then in came her faither dear said “Bonnie Barbara tak him” “It’s time to bid me tak him noo, When you know his coffin’s makin” In then cam her brother dear, said “Tak him Barbara tak him” “It’s time to bid me tak him noo, now his grave-claes is a-makin” Then in cam her sister dear, said “Bonnie Barbara tak him” “It’s time to bid me tak him noo, when my hairt it is a-breakin” “O Mother dear mak ma bed an mak it lang an narrow My love has died for me the-day, I’ll die for him the-morrow.”
6.
As I was walkin a alane I heard a young man plead in vain And he was following a lassie fair Tae mak her his forever mair -o Tae mak her his forever mair The lad untae the lass did say “O lassie please be mine the day” She tossed her head and tae him said “I’d ne’er loe ye though all men were dead - o I’d ne’er loe ye though all men were dead” He wrung his hands and tore his hair But he couldna win thon lassie fair He threatened he wid tak a knife And end his ain and his sweet love’s life -o And end his ain and his sweet love’s life She seemed tae say wi her een sae blue “O lad tae ye I couldna be true I loe and lad an he loves me Fur me tae loe ye wouldna be - o Fur me tae loe ye wouldna be An there he stood ablow a tree And made his mind they baith must dee He drew his knife and struck a blow An reid her young heart’s blood did flow-o An reid her young heart’s blood did flow He plunged it deep in his ain breast An fell by her tae his last rest He twined his airms roon that lassie fair An she was his forever mair-o An she was his forever mair
7.
My name is jamie Raeburn, frae Glasgow toon I came My place and habitation I’m forced to leave wi shame Frae my place and habitation I noo maun gang awa’ Far frae the bonnie hills an dales of Caledonia It was early in the morning just at the break o day The turnkey cam to wake us, and unto us did say “Arise, ye hapless convicts, arise ye ane and a’, This is the day you are to stray from Caledonia.” We all arose, put on our clothes, our hairts were fu o grief Our friends, who stood around the coach, could grant us no relief Our parents, wives, and sweethairts, their hairts were broke in twa Tae see us leave the bonnie braes of Caledonia Fareweel my aged mither, don’t grieve for what I’ve done Let nane o’ them cast up to you the race that I hae run May providence protect you, when I am far awa, Far, far, frae all the hills and dales of Caledonia Fareweel my honest faither, for ye’re the best o’ men Likewise my ain dear sweetheart, it’s Catherine is her name Nae mair we’ll walk by Clyde’s clear stream or by the Broomielaw For I muan leave the hills and dales of Caledonia
8.
Twa recruiting sergeants came frae the Black Watch Tae markets and fairs, some recruits for tae catch. But a' that they 'listed was forty an twa: Sae list my bonnie laddie an' come awa. For its into the barn and out o' the byre, This ole farmer, he thinks ye never tire. It's slavery a' yer life, a life o' low degree. Sae list my bonnie laddie and come awa wi me And it's over the mountain and over the Main, Through Gibralter, to France and Spain. Pit a feather tae your bunnet, and a kilt aboon your knee, Sae list my bonnie laddie and come awa wi me. With your tattie pourin's and yer meal and kale, Yer soor, soor, soorin's and yer ill-brewed ale, Yer buttermilk, yer whey, and yer breid baked raw. Sae list my bonnie laddie and come awa. Oh laddie ye dinna ken the danger that yer in. If yer horses was to fleg, and yer owsen was to rin, This greedy ole farmer, he wouldna pay yer fee. Sae list my bonnie laddie and come awa wi' me O laddie if ye've got a sweetheart an' a bairn, Ye'll easily get rid o' that ill-spun yarn. Twa rattles o' the drum, aye and that'll pay it a'. Sae list my bonnie laddie and come awa.
9.
As I gaed doon by Strichen Toon I heard a fair maid mourning An she was makin’ sair complaint At her true love ne’er returning Sae fare ye weel ye Mormond Braes Where aft-times I’ve been cheery Fare ye weel ye Mormond Braes For it’s there I lost my dearie Oh I’ll pit on ma goon o’ green As a forsaken token As’ that will let the young men know That the bands o’ love are broken There’s mony a horse has snappert an’ fa’en An risen again fu’ rarely There’s mony a lass has lost her lad An’ gotten anither richt early There’s as guid fish intae the sea As ever yet wis taken I’ll cast ma net and try again For I’m only yince forsaken Sae I’ll gae doon tae Strichen Toon Where I was bred and born An’ there I’ll get anither sweethert Will mairry me the morn
10.
Cauld winter was howlin o’er moor and oe’r mountain And wild was the surge on the dark rolling sea When I met about day break, a bonnie young lassie Who asked me the road and the miles tae Dundee Said I, “My young lassie, I canna weel tell ye The road and the distance I canna weel gie But if ye’ll permit me tae gang a wee bittie I’ll show you the road and the miles tae Dundee” At once she consented she gave me her arm Ne’r a word did I speir wha the lassie might be She appeared like an angel in feature and form A she walked by my side on the road tae Dundee At length, wi the howe o Strathmartine behind us And the spires o the toon in full view we could see She said “Gentle sir I can never forget ye For showing me so far on the road tae Dundee This ring and this purse take to show I am grateful And some simple token I trust ye’ll gie me And in times to come I’ll the laddie remember That showed me the road and the miles tae Dundee I took the gowd pin form the scarf on my bosom And said, “Keep ye this in remembrance o me” The bravely I kissed the sweet lips on the lassie Ere I parted wi her on the road tae Dundee So here’s tae the lassie - I ne’er can forget her- And like ilka young laddie that’s listening to me And never be sweer to convoy a young lassie Though it’s only to show her the road tae Dundee

about

The Ledger is a time capsule of the fledgling Scottish folk scene. Every week in the late ’50s and early ’60s The Scotsman published a traditional Scottish folk song with lyrics and melody alongside an explanatory article by folklorist Norman Buchan. My Grandfather, Findlay Cumming, cut them out of the newspaper and pasted them into a ledger. Buchan’s articles were collected and published as 101 Scottish Folk Songs and later as The Scottish Folksinger, two of the most influential books on the Scottish Folk scene past and present.

In early 2018 Gillian, Mike and I whittled over sixty neatly cut and pasted songs from the ledger down to the songs you hear on this recording. At first we searched for a theme but in the end we chose the ten we liked singing the most.

The Ledger is best enjoyed beside a roaring fire with a dram… tea and coffee also work… especially with a dram in them.

More information on The Ledger can be found at www.findlaynapier.com/theledger

credits

released May 1, 2020

Gillian Frame- Fiddle, lead and backing vocals
Findlay Napier- Guitar, High strung guitar, lead and backing vocals
Mike Vass- Tenor guitar, fiddle and music box
Euan Burton- Bass
Steve Fivey- Percussion

Recorded and mixed by Mike Vass at Gloworm Studios, Glasgow
Mastered by Peter Beckman at Technology Works
Photos and design by Elly Lucas

This album is dedicated to Findlay Cumming, Norman Buchan and Anne Neilson who have helped keep the tradition of Scottish folk song alive.

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about

The Ledger: Gillian Frame & Findlay Napier Glasgow, UK

Every week in the late 50s and early 60s The Scotsman published a traditional Scottish folk song: lyrics and melody alongside an explanatory article. Findlay’s Grandfather, cut them out and pasted them into an old ledger. The Ledger is a time capsule of the fledgeling Scottish and UK folk scene
and is brought to life by Findlay Napier, Gillian Frame and
producer/multi-instrumentalist Mike Vass.
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