Given that the Brits are BONKERS here’s a folk song that Facebookers had wondered about!

 Steeleye Span - 'Cam Ye O'er Frae France' Live in 1975!

someone asked for this over at Flickenbokkers 

Top Hat Crew "Live Music Archivists"

'Cam Ye O'er Frae France’ 

Cam’ Ye Ower Frae France is a witty and bitingly satirical song, which shows the general feeling of the Scots to the replacement of the Stuarts by the Hanoverarians. The Scots apparently found it illogical to have a puppet king who hardly spoke a word of English, seemed unaware of the existence of Gaelic, and appeared to have an intense preoccupation with gardening. The time signature varies between 7/4 and 6/8.

said Dick Gaughan

and from his now defunct website:

This comes from volume 1 of James Hogg’s Jacobite Relics of Scotland and is a scathing commentary on the political situation, and in particular on the members of the Scottish Establishment comfortably esconced in exile in France, prior to the first Jacobite Rising of 1715. All the names in the song refer to actual people, although some are obscure these days. e.g., “Geordie Whelps” was George I, “Bobbing John” was the Earl of Mar, known as “Bobbing” because of his tendency to shift his allegiance to whoever looked like being victorious.

Dick Gaughan sings Cam Ye Ower Frae France

Cam ye ower frae France? Cam ye doun by Lunnon?
Saw ye Geordie Whelps an his bonnie wumman?
Wis ye at the place caad the Kittle Housie?
Saw ye Geordie’s grace a-ridin on a goosie?

Geordie he’s a man, thair is little dout o’t,
He’s dune aa he can—wha can dae wiout it?
Doun thair cam a blade linkin like malordy
He wad drive a trade at the loom o Geordie.

Tho the claith were bad, blythely may we niffer
Gin we get a wab, it maks little differ
We hae tint our plaid, bunnet, belt an swordie
Haas an mailins braid—but we hae a Geordie!

Jockie’s gane tae France an Montgomery’s ladie
Thair thae’ll learn tae dance—Madam, are ye ready?
Thae’ll be back belyve, beltit, brisk an lordlie
Brawly may thae thrive tae dance a jig wi Geordie!

Hie for Sandy Don, hie for Cockalorum
Hie for Bobbing John an his Heilan quorum
Mony’s a sword an lance swings at heil an hurdie 

Hou thae’ll skip an dance owre the bum o Geordie!

Various Artists - Shining Bright, The Songs of Lal & Mike Waterson [2002] - Butterboy

Now I have only recently been singing the praises of Butterboy compilations and just recently I have been listening to these . . . firstly a stunning set of covers of two of the legendary Folk Dynasty, the Waterson family and here Lal and Mike are focussed upon with covers from Eliza Carthy (a member herself of said dynasty) and other family members too with the husband and wife team of Martin Carthy and Norma Waterson the matriarch who we only lost just recently really) but this also features fascinating and stunning singers too in the likes of Christine Collister, Linda Thompson and her son Teddy, Maddy Prior, Christy Moore and Dick Gaughan, legends all  . . . . . . . . 

Butterboy

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Track list

01 John Pashley's Phoenix New Orleans Parade Band - Bright Phoebus 1:53

02 Linda & Teddy Thompson - Evona Darling 3:19

03 Dick Gaughan - Scarecrow 5:43

04 Martin Carthy - Never The Same 3:36

05 Norma Waterson - Song For Thirza 4:10

06 Christy Moore - Piper's Path 2:33

07 The Eliza Carthy Band - Child Among The Weeds 4:27

08 Helen Watson & Heather Greenbank - Shine 4:11

09 Billy Bragg And The Blokes - Danny Rose 2:30

10 Maddy Prior - Winifer Odd 3:35

11 Christine Collister & Oliver Knight - Marvellous Companion 4:08

12 Jody Stecher & Kate Brislin - One Of Those Days 2:31

13 Dayteller - Fine Horseman 4:14

14 Richard Thompson - Red Wine Promises 3:57

15 Blue Murder - Bright Phoebus 2:55

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here . . . .

Dick Gaughan - True and Bold - Songs of the Scottish Miners (1984) - Zerosounds

 More

Dick Gaughan

TRUE AND BOLD - 

SONGS OF THE SCOTTISH MINERS (1984)

It is well known that Scot Dick Gaughan is left of centre(!) and this is in aid of the Scottish Miners in particular and consists of classic radical left wing folk songs from (Ewan MacColl etc) Scotland largely and yet please don't let that put you off, the guitar work alone is worth checking out and the man can sing!

Dick Gaughan - True and Bold - Zero Sounds

again this looks like it is out of print and if anyone knows otherwise please let me know and I will remove links . . . . . it is still worth reading Zero G's writing on the subject

Zero G Sound::DICK GAUGHAN 'SAIL ON'

Dick Gaughan - Sail On

"While not the best album in Gaughan's impressive canon, "Sail On" is testament to the fact that he sounds best in a stripped-down setting. Unfortunately, it proves the point by a number of over-arranged pieces, like "Land of the North Wind" and "Son of Man," which utilize a band, it seems, just because they can, diluting the power of the songs. 

He's much better, for example, on Pete Seeger's "Waist Deep in the Big Muddy," "No Gods and Precious Few Heroes," which he tackles solo, or the very spare "The 51st (Highland) Division's Farewell to Sicily," which shows his guitar talents - and extensive they are, too.

He's a revelation on his cover of "Ruby Tuesday," and brings a wonderfully personal touch to Richard Thompson's "1952 Vincent Black Lightning" - indeed, he's a superb interpreter of songs as well as a writer. But the good stuff simply throws into relief how little Gaughan needs the extraneous instruments, and his production, especially on the fuller arrangements, is curiously flat. But when he's good, he's very good indeed. 

1	Land Of The North Wind	3:03
2	Son Of Man	3:56
3	Ruby Tuesday	4:27
4	Waist Deep In The Big Muddy	4:50
5	No Cause For Alarm	2:58
6	The 51st (Highland) Division's Farewell To Sicily	11:41
7	No Gods & Precious Few Heroes	3:55
8	Geronimo's Cadillac	3:17
9	1952 Vincent Black Lightning	4:17
10	Sail On	5:13
11	The Freedom Come-All-Ye	5:14

        
Dick Gaughan - Sail On

Now this long out of print item is a good album from Gaughan and I don't agree with anything written above! But each to their own. This amuses me and contrariness notwithstanding it seemed like a good enough reason to post it here!   I am something of a purist where covers of Richard Thompson are concerned and this version for me is the weakest track here. The songs that Zero G claims are over produced are fascinating to these ears as he can play guitar on anything clearly. What he says of the simpler acoustic numbers I felt true of the more band focused songs! So almost exactly the opposite of what he says there (above) It is well worth trying and especially if you haven't heard Gaughan before. He is something of a Northern legend in folk singles like Martin Simpson and others. Try it!