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Baron o' Brackley
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This is a NE Scottish ballad about the murder of William Gordon of Brackley by his wife's relative Inverey. The accompaniment is on mountain dulcimer.
singer songwriter acoustic folk british guitarist song celtic traditional fingerstyle scottish scotland guitar kelso
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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
Charts
Peak #18
Peak in subgenre #6
Author
Trad. Arr. David Kilpatrick
Rights
David Kilpatrick
Uploaded
November 25, 2003
Track Files
MP3
MP3 5.5 MB 128 kbps 5:57
Story behind the song
I first heard this song performed by Davie Robertson, who sings it unaccompanied or using smallpipes as a drone. There are many versions and it's in Ewan McColl's books Song and Ballads of Scotland. The accompaniment is played on a McSpadden hourglass four-string, three course mountain dulcimer (walnut, flat headstock type) using a chorded, thumbpick and two finger playing style and strong percussive string slap. See www.mcspaddendulcimers.com for information on these excellent, affordable US made instruments. I bought mine when travelling through Sedona, from a small shop which combined fashion clothing and dulcimer sales. It had the best sound out of a dozen, often far more expensive, choices.
Lyrics
Down Deeside cam' Inverey Whistlin' and playin' He's lichted (alighted) at Brackley's yetts (gates) Ere the day dawin' Saying, Baron o'Brackley, It's are ye within? There's shairp swords at yer yetts Will gar (make) yer bluid spin! Out spake the bold baron Oer the castle wall Are ye cam tae spulyie (spoil) and plunder ma hall? If ye be gentleman, licht and come in - Gin (if) ye drink o'ma wine, Ye'll no gar ma bluid spin. His lady rose up, Tae the windae she went She's seen his kye (cattle) skippin' Oer hill and oer bent (grass) Rise up, bold Brackley, And turn back yer kye! The lads o' Drumwharren Are drivin' them by! How can I rise, lady, And fetch them again? For whaur we have ae man I wot they have ten! She called tae her maries (servants) Tae come to her hand Saying, fetch her rocks (spinning weights) We will them command! (defeat) Oh kiss me, ma Peggy! How could ye say sae? Noo I must go out I must fecht Inverey Fetch me me gun For I must now away I must go out Though I'll never come hame When the Baron was ready And stood in the close (mounting place) No bonnier a callant (young man) Ever mounted a horse But whit's tae become O' his bonny young son? Whit's tae come o' him When Brackely is gone? Strike dogs! cries Inverey Fecht till yer slain! For we are fower hundret And ye're but fower men! Strike, ye prood boaster! Yer honour is gaen Yer lands I will plunder Yer castle I'll gain! At the heid o'the Etnach The battle began At Little Aucholzie (pron. Aucholyie) They killed the first man First they killed ae man And then they killed twa Then the Baron o'Brackley The floor o'them a' They killed William Gorden And James o'the Knock And brave Alexander The flower o' Glenmuck Whit sighin' an' moanin' Wis heard in the glen For the Baron o'Brackley Wha basely was slain Cam' ye by Brackley yetts? Cam' ye by there? Saw ye Peggy Gordon A reivin' (tearing) her hair? Well ah cam' by Brackley yetts Ah wis in there But I saw Peggy Gordon A'braidin her hair She wis laughing and dancing And rantin' wi joy And she swore that ere nicht She wad feast Inverey She ate wi' him, drank wi' him Welcomed him in She was kin* tae the man Wha had slain her baron! Fie on ye, Peggy How could ye dae sae? Ye have opened yer yetts Tae the fause Inverey! There's dule in the kitchen There's mirth in the ha' For the Baron o'Brackley Wha's deid and awa'! *I have sung this as 'kin' but now think it should be 'kind' (the d is lost). I now sing the last verse to end with: But his young son sat on the nouris's (nurse's) knee, said 'When I'm a man, it's avenged I will be'.
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