"The Banks o' Bonny Tweed" by David Kilpatrick

License $25

Free download

A quick song as a Valentine's Day pressie for my wife, Feb 14th 2005. In the general tradition of Scots oldies.

singer songwriter acoustic folk british guitarist song celtic traditional fingerstyle scottish scotland guitar kelso

Solo singer-songwriter and tunesmith playing British fingerstyle steel and nylon string guitar, and historic instruments. Scots and Irish influences.

I've been writing and playing songs and tunes since teenage years in folk clubs and pubs. I co-organise the Kelso Friday night live music sessions at the Cross Keys (hosted singaround 7.45-10pm) and Cobbles Inn (10-12pm open mic with The Cobbles Band) with the help of many friends. All welcome! Visit us at kelsofolkandlive co uk. It is worth clicking on the tab because the sound quality of my tracks is far higher than the auto player on this page. Many can be streamed or downloaded at 320KBps and the enhancement for solo guitar/voice far exceeds the benefit you get for highly compressed band recordings. My recordings are full dynamic, not compressed. Just select Hi-Fi for the first song, and an MP3 high bitrate window will open - you will still get a sequence of songs. Most of my downloads are free, but some 320KBps tracks are paid-for. These are selected because they make up my main instrumental album. I now have a YouTube page and have started doing some video recordings for fun: @daviddkilpatrick I have mainly played Lowden guitars since 1999. I current play a 1985 S5FN (nylon string), 1986 S22 (jumbo O-size mahogany/cedar), and 1995 S32 (small body rosewood/spruce). I also play my own 1997-built Martin 'kit' Grand Auditorium rosewood/spruce, a Sigma OM-T, Furch Little Jane, Tacoma Papoose, Guild 8-string baritone, Vintage V880 parlour guitar and Gordon Giltrap signature model, a Troubadour mahogany/spruce classical and an Adam Black 12-string. And that's just the guitars... also viola, mandolin, mandola, waldzither, bouzouki, Appalachian dulcimer, low D whistle, keyboards.

Song Info

Genre

Acoustic • Acoustic Folk

Charts

Peak #35

Peak in subgenre #1

Author

David Kilpatrick

Rights

David Kilpatrick 2005

Uploaded

January 20, 2014

Track Files

MP3

MP3 5.5 MB • 160 kbps • 4:48

Story behind the song

This one started out life as the opening and closing line 'By the Banks o' Bonny Tweed' with a flute or fiddle air in mind. It uses a very familiar verse pattern and melodic structure, and if it happens to be original, that is pure chance. I would be amazed if the name has not been used before and the tune is so generic I expect Anon and Trad to knock on the door demanding royalties. A little trouble with earthing and noise from the gear this time, and a couple of clipping clicks. Changed my recording set-up and it needs work! The words could do with a wee bit tidying to remove inconsequential bathos...

Lyrics

It was by the banks o' bonny Tweed
My love and I did roam
It was by the banks o' bonny Tweed
We found for us a home
Though far horizons call to us
We have here all we need
Where time runs deep and the great fish leap
By the banks o' bonny Tweed

It was on the banks o' bonny Tweed
Our children once did play
And from the banks o' bonny Tweed
Life sent them on their way
Yet still these hills will call the back
If makin' no great speed
As the heron glides across the tide
By the banks o' bonny Tweed

It is by the banks o' bonny Tweed
My love and I will stay
And by the banks o' bonny Tweed
Shall greet each dawin' day
Like birds in winter we may fly
On that we're both agreed
But return to nest where life is best
On the banks o' bonny Tweed

On 14 Playlists

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