We’ve updated our Terms of Use to reflect our new entity name and address. You can review the changes here.
We’ve updated our Terms of Use. You can review the changes here.

Brewer's Lament​/​Queen Among the Heather​/​The Ale is Dear

from The Sound of IONA by IONA

/

about

Brewer's Lament/Queen Among the Heather/The Ale is Dear
Scotland

Bob composed this variation on pibroch (a pipe competition thing) as a comment on the reel, The Ale is Dear. Obviously also a comment on Scottish parsimony. The song is a spirited love song: nobody kills anybody!

lyrics

Queen Amang the Heather
As I roved out one fine summer's morn,
Amang lofty hills, moorland and mountains,
It was there I spied a weel fort lass,
Whilst I with others was out huntin'.

No shoes nor stockings did she wear,
Nor had she hat, nor had she feathers,
But her golden hair hung in ringlets fair,
And a gentle breeze blew round her shoulders.

I said, "Braw lassie why go your lane?
Why go your lane among the heather?"
She said, "My faither's awa' frae hame,
An I'm herdin' a' the yowes the gither."

I said, "Braw lassie will you be mine,
And care tae lie on a bed of feathers?
Sure in silks and satins it's you will shine,
And ye'll be my queen amang the heather.

She said, "Kind sir your offer is good,
But I'm afraid ‘twas meant for laughter,
For I hear you are a rich squire's son,
And I'm a poor lame shepherd's daughter.

"Well, had you been a shepherd's loon,
A-herdin' yowes in yonder valley,
Or had you been a plooman's son,
Wi' a' my heart I would hae Loed ye."

Well, I've been tae halls, an' I've been tae balls,
I've been tae London an' Balquidder.
But the bonniest lass that e'er I saw
Was herdin' yowes amang the heather.

So we baith sat doon upon the plain,
We sat awhile, and we talked the gither.
An' we left the yowes to go their lane,
An' I loed my queen amang the heather.
© 1998 Barnaby Productions Inc.

credits

from The Sound of IONA, released October 30, 1998

license

all rights reserved

tags

about

IONA Washington, D.C.

IONA has been taking its unique brand of traditional Celtic music to festivals, arts centers, schools & house concerts all over North America and Europe since 1986, blending music from the various Celtic traditions with stories and a little humor - Barbara Ryan (vocals, bouzouki, bodhran), Bernard Argent (flute, doumbek), Chuck Lawhorn (bass), Jim Queen (fiddle, banjo) & Kathleen Larrick (dance). ... more

contact / help

Contact IONA

Streaming and
Download help

Redeem code

Report this track or account

If you like IONA, you may also like: