We are very happy to announce that Robbie MacLeod with his song Cunha and Neil Thomson and his song Snawdraps are joint winners in Hands Up for Trad’s Nòs Ùr competition. The judges were very excited by the quality of songs entered and decided to have two winners – one in Scots and one in Gaelic. Robbie is now heading into the studio to record his son and Neil’s is already recorded.
More information about the songs below.
Snawdraps written by Neil Thomson and Gerry Cambridge
This song celebrates the natural charm of the Snowdrop flower. Translations of the scots words within the song are as follows:
blintert: blown by boisterous gusty wind
dowless: feeble, lacking instrength or energy
yirdit: buried
skinklin: sparkling
bauchle: untidy or clumsy person
smeddum: spirit, energy, drive
sin: sun
The words of the song were written by Poet Gerry Cambridge and feature in his book of Scottish Nature in poems, photographs and prose ‘Nothing but Heather!’.
For more information about Gerry’s work see www.gerrycambridge.com
Snawdraps will be included on the rerelease of ‘Shore Crab’ this September which features eight recordings of Gerry’s poems set to music by Neil. More info at www.neilthomson.co.uk
Lyrics:
The blintert snawdrap can manage wi’oot
thae dowless flooers yirdit wi doot;
fir it can match Orion’s pooers
richt throu the skinklin wee sma oors;
sae up it cams, an mebbe gies
thae laggard bauchles, bi degrees,
smeddum frae shame ti cam up tae
intil the air an the sin’s ray;
but it’s the yin that sterts the spring.
It sets the sin abune aa thing.
Cunha written by Robbie MacLeod
‘Cumha’ is the Gaelic for a lament, and the song is about the loss of those close to you and the strength we find in the folks around us when things are hard.
Robbie Andrew MacLeod is an indie-folk songwriter from the Highlands. He learned Gaelic growing up and now writes songs in both Gaelic and English. One of his songs, ‘Tamhasg’, got covered by Mànran on their second album, ‘The Test’.
Lyrics
Òran nach cluinneadh gu bràth
Ach fonn nach leigeas tu às
Cuimhneachan tùrsach a-nis –
Sheachnadh tu na tha ri teachd
Airson na bh’ ann mu thràth.
Ach cha do shiubhail gaisgeach ò thùs
Gu tìr dhubh dhorch a’ bhàis
Gun chuimhneachan fhàgail ‘sa glàsadh
Nad chridhe ‘s nad chuimhne na àit’.
Ach uaireannan, bidh thu nad aonar
Gun sgath ‘s dheth an rathaid
Gun chiall agus gun adhbhar –
Thoir gach dùrachd a th’ agam.
Hò-rò, hò-rò-èile,
Ho-rò-èile, mo luaidh,
Hò-rò, hò-rò-èile,
Ho-rò-èile, mo ghràidh.
‘S dòcha nach eil nèamh agad no iutharna,
Ach iutharna de phian an-dràsd’,
Is nèamh a chaidh seachad ann am priobadh,
Ach cuiridh sinn fhathast clach nad chàrn.
Is uaireannan, bidh thu nad aonar
Gun sgath ‘s dheth an rathaid
Gun chiall agus gun adhbhar –
Thoir gach dùrachd a th’ agam.
Hò-rò, hò-rò-èile,
Ho-rò-èile, mo luaidh,
Hò-rò, hò-rò-èile,
Ho-rò-èile, mo ghràidh.
Ach uaireannan, bidh thu nad aonar
Gun sgath ‘s dheth an rathaid
Gun chiall agus gun adhbhar –
Thoir gach dùrachd a th’ agam.
Hò-rò, hò-rò-èile,
Ho-rò-èile, mo luaidh,
Hò-rò, hò-rò-èile,
Ho-rò-èile, mo ghràidh.