Ma ain story


Blethers in the Scots lede


Ah've pit maist o this wabsteid intae English sae that maist fowk micht unnerstan it, bit Ah thocht Ah shid pit a wee bit o ma ain mither tongue somewhaur here, seein as Ah'm aye gaen on aboot hoo we shid yaise it mair an gie it official kennin.

It's fell haird tae scriev in it richt, mind, sin we've nae exact orthography fur the lede, but thon's really tae dae wi the fact that fowk nooadays, like me, are haein tae lairn their ain lede that they've no been lowed tae spik or scriev ower muckle afore.

Onyweys, here we gang.

Ah've bin singin maist o ma life, an ane o ma earliest memories is bein knee-deep in heather up the Hill o the Rowan in Glen Esk, singin the Willie Scott sang 'Lads Among Heather' that Ah'd heard fae the Corries. Ma mither and faither were baith intae the revival singers, an ma mither yuised tae sing tae me aa kinna sangs, bit ane o the anes Ah mind maist o aa wis Bonnie Glenshee. Anither ane wis Tramps an Hawkers. Baith thae sangs fur me are aboot far Ah come fae. They're baith jist 'hame', aisey as that.

Onyhoo, as time gings alang, Ah'll be addin mair bits and pieces in here aboot hoo Ah got intae singin an finnin oot aboot ma ain cultur as weel.

Ah've only really got tae ken it weel in the lest three or fower year, efter lairnin an explorin mony ither ledes fae the Germanic faimly and seein wioot ony difficulty that oor lede is jist as valid as ony ither, that ideas o it bein bad English are blawn awa aathegither fan ye tak a wee ride roon the North Sea coast o Europe an hear thon many fowk in Norway, Germany, an the Netherlands wi wards that ye ken yirsel that ye've ne'er heard onywhaur else ootside o yer ain patch. Hearin aboot gowks an kirks an kye an bairns, thon's jist the stairt.

It's aa been politics, an fowk aye forget that language disna follae the lines on the map. As a traivelin musician Ah'm aye finnin these wee crossroads and plisses far cultures hae come thegither an ye fin oot that we're aa closer relatit gin ye jist hae a wee hink aboot it aa. Lairnin German wis the key fur me. Haein German an kennin Scots opens up the hale Germanic language faimly tae ye, an suin ye fin yirsel spikkin Norwegian, or comparin Scots and Friesian wards wi Dutch fairmers. Braw, ken?!
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