My Love is like a Red Red Rose - Robert Burns Songs

Wow - that week was very fast!! Christine was working on A Man's a Man when I wrote my last Blog - just to report that there is still ongoing pre-recording work happening and that another Burns classic,  Ye Banks And Braes O' Bonnie Doon, has made its way onto the recorder ahead of A Man's a Man.

Ye Banks and Braes is, I believe, a very interesting song. The tune is very sweet and when sung with major chords, sounds more like a spring day tune of celebration than the bittersweet message contained in the words. Here are the words:

Ye banks and braes o' bonnie doon
How can ye bloom sae fresh and fair?
How can ye chant, ye little birds,
And i'm sae weary, fu' o' care!
Y'ell break my heart, ye warbling bird,
That wantons through the flow'ring thorn
Ye mind me o' departed joys,
Departed, never to return.

Oft i have roved by bonnie doon
To see the rose of woodbine twine;
And ilka bird sand o' its luve,
And fondly sae did i o'mine.
We lightsome hearts i stretch'd my hand
And pu'd a rosebud from the tree;
But my fause lover stole the rose
And left, and left the thorn wi' me

So true to the heart of the album "The Songs of Robert Burns", Christine has scored a very different piano part that goes deep to capture the feelings encapsulated within Burns' lyrics. A 12 string guitar part has been added to compliment the piano and to add the movement of the water to the stillness of the Banks and Braes. Still to be added are whistle and strings, including a beautiful counter melody, one that everyone will recognise, in the last verse.

I think that I will revisit all the other posts and add the lyrics of each song as appropriate. I hope to be adding some video clips soon as well.

Oh yes, this post is called My Love is like a Red Red Rose. The reason is that I have today recreated the landing page for a free live video of Red Red Rose, recorded by Christine in our home. The link for the page is http://www.myloveislikearedredrose.com/ - here are the words:

O my Luve's like a red, red rose
That’s newly sprung in June;
O my Luve's like the melodie
That’s sweetly play'd in tune.


As fair art thou, my bonnie lass,
So deep in luve am I:
And I will luve thee still, my dear,
Till a’ the seas gang dry:


Till a’ the seas gang dry, my dear,
And the rocks melt wi’ the sun:
I will luve thee still, my dear,
While the sands o’ life shall run.


And fare thee weel, my only Luve
And fare thee weel, a while!
And I will come again, my Luve,
Tho’ it were ten thousand mile.


Red Red Rose will also be included on the album "The Songs of Robert Burns".

All for now.