Lyrics
On the Edge
2019
1. Farewell to Darien
Words and Music by Folky MacFolk Face.
Dougie Torrance - lead vocal, 12 string guitar.
Eabhnat Ní Laighin - fiddle.
Jackie Mullen - mandolin.
Nick Watson - backing vocals, accordion.
Oh, my darling Anne Marie,
Won’t you sit here with me,
Won’t you tell me all those secrets in your heart.
For tomorrow I’ll be gone,
At the breaking of the dawn,
Sailing westward with proud Scotland’s Company.
It was 1691,
When I had only just begun,
To believe in Scotland’s greater destiny.
With our hearts set a fire,
We would build a great Empire,
We would make a home across the foaming sea.
With our backs against the wall,
We could hear great England’s call,
To resist the cry to follow the sun.
But starved of our grain,
Through the 7 years of pain,
We were destined for the Bay of Darien.
Safe aboard The Unicorn,
We sailed from Leith one July morn,
In our ships and in our cause, we had faith.
And so, we passed through the storm,
Praising each God-given dawn,
In that fateful year of 1698.
Now if those twelve hundred knew,
The life that waited out of view,
Far from our green shores, in distant Panama.
Would we still have set sail,
If we had lifted that vale,
Would we have named our new home “Caledonia”?
For the hunger and disease,
Brought us humbly to our knees,
And though others, they so blindly followed on.
I soon began to see,
This was never meant to be,
Proud Scotland’s Empire, fading like the setting sun.
Jealous Spain she was set,
To fill our hearts with deep regret,
To finally tear from us the dream that lingered on.
And so, my Anne Marie,
You’re left me just a memory,
As I say farewell to the Bay of Darien.
And so, my Anne Marie,
You’re left me just a memory,
As I say farewell to the Bay of Darien.
As I say farewell to the Bay of Darien.
As I say farewell to you and the Bay of Darien.
​
2. Nitshill Mining Disaster
Words and Music by Folky MacFolk Face.
Dougie Torrance - lead vocal, guitar.
Eabhnat Ní Laighin - fiddle.
Jackie Mullen - mandolin.
Nick Watson - backing vocals, accordion.
I remember still,
Those men and boys of Old Nitshill.
As they worked the coal face,
Deep beneath the earth.
Their blackened faces still return,
In my dreams forever young.
Did we know before they left,
What they were worth?
And I still hear their panicked cries,
And see the terror in their eyes.
The earth shook and broke around us,
As we fell.
And as I stood, as I ran,
Those at the face, lost to a man.
The air around them,
Burned them all to hell.
And I can hear their voices echo in the dark,
I can hear them still,
Those men and boys of Old Nitshill.
In Victoria pit we found,
Deep beneath the Renfrew ground.
An honest way to work,
And to feed the ones we love.
But in the year of ’51,
Men and boys so very young.
Ne’r returned,
To the sweet March air above.
And then the multitude they came,
Whispering each lost miner’s name.
Praying for a miracle,
Way down below.
But just two of us were found,
Barely alive beneath the ground.
61 , never to return!
And I can hear their voices echo in the dark,
I can hear them still,
Those men and boys of Old Nitshill.
And they cry,
“Oh brother, oh brother,
Don’t leave me here in the dark.”
And they cry,
“Oh brother, oh brother,
Don’t leave me here in the dark.”
And I can hear their voices echo in the dark!
I can hear them still,
Those men and boys of Old Nitshill.
And I can hear their voices echo in the dark!
And I remember them still,
Those men and boys of Old Nitshill.
​
3. Leave the Light On
Words and Music by Folky MacFolk Face.
Dougie Torrance - backing vocals, guitars, piano.
Eabhnat Ní Laighin - fiddle.
Jackie Mullen - lead vocal.
Nick Watson - accordion.
​
I’ve been dreaming, while I sleep,
About the rivers, about the seas.
That lie between us, that divide you and I.
So, I’m leaving now, I’m coming back to you.
Another station, I’m going nowhere,
I’ve been stranded for too long.
I need love, I need your sweet, sweet arms.
So, I’m leaving now, I’m coming back to you.
So, leave the light on, leave the light on for me.
I’m leaving now, I’m coming back to you.
Leave your light turned on for me.
In the darkest, empty moments,
I forgot where I was from.
I need something real, I need something I know,
Will be perfect, will be beautiful.
And that’s why, I’m coming back to you.
So, leave the light on, leave the light on for me.
I’m leaving now, I’m coming back to you.
So, leave the light on, leave the light on for me.
I’m leaving now, I’m coming back to you.
I’m leaving now, I’m coming back to you.
I’m leaving now, I’m coming back to you.
​
4. The Good Ship Albion
Words and Music by Folky MacFolk Face.
Dougie Torrance - backing vocals, bouzouki, harmonica.
Eabhnat Ní Laighin - fiddle.
Jackie Mullen - backing vocals, guitar.
Nick Watson - lead vocal, accordion.
Trish Strain - cello.
The time has come for me to leave,
These faces that I love,
Driven by ill fortune, from the country of my birth,
And though I’ll always think of you,
My new life has begun,
Aboard the good ship Albion.
I promise to you always,
That I am no guilty man,
I was attacked without fore-warning,
By a bloody, ruthless gang,
‘twas a fatal moment that forever has me on the run,
Aboard the good ship Albion.
Oh, my love, I will brave the fiercest storm,
Oh, my love, I will make it to the dawn,
Oh, my love, I swear I will carry on,
Aboard the good ship Albion,
Aboard the good ship Albion.
Don’t weep your tears, or curse my name,
Our love will always be,
As sure and true and deep, as the cold, relentless sea,
Please wait for me, I promise you,
One day I will return,
Aboard the good ship Albion.
For this life, was never meant for one,
So in love as I,
And though we share this Godly Earth,
And we share the same blue sky,
Will I always be, lost to thee,
Forever will I run?
Aboard the good ship Albion.
Oh, my love, I will brave the fiercest storm,
Oh, my love, I will make it to the dawn,
Oh, my love, I swear I will carry on,
Aboard the good ship Albion,
Aboard the good ship Albion.
So, think of me, still kindly,
As you go to sleep each night,
And dream of our last meeting,
Underneath the pale moonlight,
And know that I still think of you,
As I sail into the sun,
Aboard the good ship Albion.
Oh, my love, I will brave the fiercest storm,
Oh, my love, I will make it to the dawn,
Oh, my love, I swear I will carry on,
Aboard the good ship Albion,
Aboard the good ship Albion.
Aboard the good ship Albion.
​
5. Òganaich Uir a Rinn M' Fhàgail
(Oh Noble Youth Who Has Left Me)
Traditional spinning song from North Uist in the Scottish Western Isles.
Arranged by Folky MacFolk Face.
Dougie Torrance - backing vocals, bouzouki.
Eabhnat Ní Laighin - fiddle.
Jackie Mullen - lead vocal, guitar.
Nick Watson - backing vocals, accordion.
Xosé Liz - flute.
​
Oganaich ùir a rinn m' fhàgail...
(vocables)
Hi ri-abh o hiùraibh o ho,
Hi ri-abh o ro hùbhag,
Hi ri-abh a hiùraibh o ho.
(repeat vocables after each line)
Chum thu air deireadh air chàch mi...
Gun fhios dha m'athair no m' mhàthair...
Gun fhios dham phiuthar no m' bhràithair...
A bhean ud thall aig a chuibhle...
Fhios agad fhèin mar a tha mo chridhe...
Caimbeulach òg oirre shiubhal...
'S nach fhaigh mi baisteadh an Uibhist...
Gu ruig mi fear a' chùil bhuidhe...
Chum thu air deireadh air chàch mi...
Translation:-
Oh noble youth who has left me...
You have kept me behind all the others...
Unknown to my father or mother...
Unknown to sister or brother...
Oh woman at the spinning wheel...
You know how my heart is...
A young Campbell in your possession...
I will not get a baptism in Uist...
Until I reach the yellow-haired man...
You have kept me behind all the others...
​
6. In the Morning
Words and Music by Folky MacFolk Face.
Dougie Torrance - lead vocal, guitar.
Eabhnat Ní Laighin - backing vocals, fiddle.
Jackie Mullen - backing vocals, mandolin.
Nick Watson - backing vocals.
Xosé Liz - flute.
We’ll go walking in the morning,
We’ll go walking in the morning,
Hand in hand as far as we can see.
We’ll go fishing in the morning,
We’ll go fishing in the morning,
Down by the river, just you and me.
It seems like only yesterday I was watching you grow,
We care so tenderly for the seeds we sow.
We’ll go swimming in the morning,
We’ll go swimming in the morning,
Down in the river, down in the Tennessee.
We’ll go singing in the morning,
We’ll go singing in the morning,
We’ll sing about love, we’ll sing about family.
I wish that I could take the days and turn them around,
And wash away the morning when my skies fell down.
And you know I’ll love you always, darling child of mine,
While the winding river flows and the stars still shine.
We’ll go praying in the morning,
We’ll go praying in the morning,
Down by the river, down by the Tennessee.
We’ll wear black in the morning,
We’ll wear black in the morning,
You’ll lay sleeping in the saviour’s arms,
In the saviour’s arms.
It seems like only yesterday I was watching you grow,
We care so tenderly for the seeds we sow.
And you know I’ll love you always, darling child of mine,
While the winding river flows and the stars still shine.
​
7. Eabhnat's Waltz
Instrumental composed by Adam Sutherland and arranged by Folky MacFolk Face with Adam Sutherland.
7. Eabhnat's Waltz
Dougie Torrance - guitar.
Eabhnat Ní Laighin - fiddle.
Jackie Mullen - guitar.
Nick Watson - accordion.
Adam Sutherland - fiddle.
​
8. Mo Ghile Mear
(My Gallant Darling)
Traditional Irish song composed by Seán "Clárach" Mac Domhnaill and arranged by Folky MacFolk Face.
Dougie Torrance - backing vocals, guitar.
Eabhnat Ní Laighin - lead vocals, fiddle.
Jackie Mullen - backing vocals.
Nick Watson - backing vocals, accordion.
​
Seal dá rabhas im’ mhaighdean shéimh,
‘S anois im’ bhaintreach chaite thréith,
Mo chéile ag treabhadh na dtonn go tréan
De bharr na gcnoc is in imigéin.
Curfá
Sé mo laoch mo Ghile Mear
‘Sé mo Shaesar, Ghile Mear,
Suan ná séan ní bhfuaireas féin
Ó chuaigh i gcéin mo Ghile Mear.
Bímse buan ar buairt gach ló,
Ag caoi go cruaidh ‘s ag tuar na ndeor
Mar scaoileadh uaim an buachaill beo
‘S ná ríomhtar tuairisc uaidh, mo bhrón.
Curfá
Ní labhrann cuach go suairc ar nóin
Is níl guth gadhair
i gcoilltibh cnó,
Ná maidin shamhraidh i ngleanntaibh ceoigh
Ó d’imthigh uaim an buachaill beo.
Curfá
Ghile Mear ‘sa seal faoi chumha,
‘S Éire go léir faoi chlócaibh dubha;
Suan ná séan ní bhfuaireas féin
Ó chuaigh i gcéin mo Ghile Mear.
​
Curfá (x2).
​
9. The End of the Day
Words and Music by Folky MacFolk Face.
Dougie Torrance - backing vocals, guitar.
Eabhnat Ní Laighin - fiddle.
Jackie Mullen - guitar.
Nick Watson - lead vocal, accordion.
Paula Gomez - fiddle.
​
What shall we do if the corn won’t grow?
Leave it ‘til the end of the day.
What shall we do if the cold winds blow?
Leave it ‘til the end of the day.
My heart is full when I sit with you,
And we drink the day away!
There’s nothing I would rather do,
Than, leave it ‘til the end of the day, boys,
Leave it ‘til the end of the day!
What shall we do if we have no home?
Leave it ‘til the end of the day.
Shall we come away and freely roam?
Leave it ‘til the end of the day.
My heart is full and my cup is too,
And there’s nothing more to say!
So, I will stay and drink with you,
And leave it ‘til the end of the day, boys,
Leave it ‘til the end of the day!
What shall we do if they take us in?
Leave it ‘til the end of the day.
To jail us now would be a sin.
Leave it ‘til the end of the day.
My heart is full and my cup is too,
And there’s nothing more to say!
So, I will sit and sing with you,
Leave it ‘til the end of the day, boys,
Leave it ‘til the end of the day!
What shall we do if we’re sent to Spain.
Leave it ‘til the end of the day.
For the army’s on the march again.
Leave it ‘til the end of the day.
My heart is full when I sit with you,
And we drink the day away, oh!
There’s nothing I would rather do,
Than leave it ‘til the end of the day, boys,
Leave it ‘til the end of the day!
​
10. Down by the Still
Words and Music by Folky MacFolk Face.
Dougie Torrance - lead vocal, bouzouki.
Eabhnat Ní Laighin - fiddle.
Jackie Mullen - guitar.
Nick Watson - backing vocals, accordion.
I went walking down by the Still,
Where the wild, flowers grow.
And I lay down, I lay down,
To watch the waters flow.
And the sun was warm upon my face,
And the birds did gently sing.
As I took, from my shirt,
A polished golden ring.
It was my true love’s ring to wear,
In the summer month of June.
But the winter winds have come and gone,
And her love turned cold too soon.
For she broke my heart on Christmas Day,
When she did sadly declare.
That she loved another now,
As she combed her golden hair.
Now I recall those Autumn days,
As we sheltered out of the rain.
The warm touch of her hand,
As she sweetly whispered my name.
And I remember every sound,
As we walked there down by the Still.
Where I now dream, she loves me again,
But I suppose she never will.
So it’s farewell to my broken heart,
Only sorrow you will bring.
And I’ll no longer walk, down by the Still,
Where I threw her golden ring!
​
11. Mary and the Old Plane Tree
Words and Music by Folky MacFolk Face.
Dougie Torrance - lead vocal, bouzouki.
Eabhnat Ní Laighin - fiddle.
Jackie Mullen - lead vocal, guitar.
Nick Watson - lead vocal, accordion.
​
I stopped by the road, and I set down my load,
At the side of an old Plane tree.
And as I sheltered there, in the warm summer air,
My thoughts took a hold of me.
The warm summer breeze and the whispering leaves,
If only they could share.
Those things that they’d seen, unfold there between,
Those branches true and fair.
They’d tell me the tale, that some may know well,
Of a Lord and his tragic Queen.
And how he rested there, safe in her care,
Underneath the old Plane tree.
But what was said as she cradled his head,
And they talked away the day?
Was the care in those eyes, just a clever disguise,
And the words just a game to play?
Oh Mary my love, is this not enough,
If you’d stay here with me?
I have no desire to return to the fire,
They’d set for you and me.
They care not for us and to get what they want,
They’d tear down everything.
All they wanted from you, you’ve given them true,
A boy who would be king.
Oh no, surely my love, this is not enough,
And the day’s never as dark as it seems.
We must return, or all will be undone,
My hopes, my plans, my dreams.
So, rest here my dear, don’t doubt, don’t fear,
Our glorious day will come.
And we will be free, our son, you and me,
No longer shall we run.
Oh, magnificent tree, if she could only see,
How tragic was her fate.
But no-one can know how their stories will go,
Until the hour is late.
The tales that are told and the lives that unfold,
Are now just a memory.
And as surely as leaves will fall, the truth of it all,
Is with Mary and the old Plane tree.
​
12. Air an Oir
(On the Edge)
Composed by Folky MacFolk Face
Dougie Torrance - bouzouki.
Eabhnat Ní Laighin - fiddle.
Jackie Mullen - guitar.
Nick Watson - accordion.
All tracks recorded and produced by Dougie Torrance
at Parkhouse Studio, Glasgow, 2019.
When Night Falls
2018
1. Tarskavaig
Words and Music by Folky MacFolk Face.
Dougie Torrance - backing vocals, 12 string guitar.
Eabhnat Ní Laighin - fiddle.
Jackie Mullen - lead vocal, mandolin.
Nick Watson - backing vocals, accordion.
I took the car one Saturday,
And I drove on down to Tarskavaig,
I passed the house along the way,
Where my love used to stay.
He saw me dancing in Portree,
He swept me right up off my feet,
Then he got down on one knee,
And said “Will you marry me?”
I said surely you can’t mean me,
I’m just a girl who’s lost at sea,
Don’t waste your time, just leave me be,
That’s what I said to him.
But he was sure, he had his girl,
Across the dance floor we would twirl,
I’ll give to you my whole world,
That’s what he promised me.
So he drove me down to Tarskavaig,
Where the sun goes down in a misty haze,
And we whiled away our summer days,
Until the weather changed.
And the wind it howled and the rain came in,
And the storm it made a dreadful din,
I knew then that I’d leave him,
Down in Tarskavaig.
I took the car one Saturday,
And I drove on down to Tarskavaig,
I passed the house along the way,
Where my love used to stay.
​
2. Port Arthur
Words and Music by Folky MacFolk Face.
Dougie Torrance - backing vocals, guitar.
Eabhnat Ní Laighin - backing vocals, fiddle.
Jackie Mullen - backing vocals, mandolin.
Nick Watson - lead vocal, accordion.
If you hold on to what you’re longing for,
And your heart is true,
There’s a light that shines on a distant shore,
And I still think of you.
Twenty years of waiting, twenty years of pain,
Counting every single day ‘till I see you again.
The clouds above Port Arthur hang heavy in the sky,
They remind me of that fateful day,
When we last said goodbye.
If you hold on to what you’re longing for,
And your heart is true,
There’s a light that shines on a distant shore,
And I still think of you.
​
I was just a young boy, taken from your hand,
Sent across the oceans to a distant land.
Banished into silence, hooded and stripped bare,
I long to be back in your arms,
And in your loving care.
If you hold on to what you’re longing for,
And your heart is true,
There’s a light that shines on a distant shore,
And I still think of you.
Ships without sails, boats without their oars,
If I could live my life again I’d set a different course.
Mother can you hear me, oh hear my distant plea.
Forgive me for the things I’ve done,
Release me, set me free.
If you hold on to what you’re longing for,
And your heart is true,
There’s a light that shines on a distant shore,
And I still think of you.
Now I seek no forgiveness for those who are to blame,
For leaving this mother’s son with nothing but a name.
20 years of service, no justice have I found,
Since I left my lovin’ home,
Port Arthur bound.
​
If you hold on to what you’re longing for,
And your heart is true,
There’s a light that shines on a distant shore,
And I still think of you.
​
If you hold on to what you’re longing for,
And your heart is true,
There’s a light that shines on a distant shore,
And I still think of you.
​
If you hold on to what you’re longing for,
And your heart is true,
There’s a light that shines on a distant shore,
And I still think of you.
​
3. The Iolaire
Words and Music by Folky MacFolk Face.
Dougie Torrance - lead vocal, 12 string guitar.
Eabhnat Ní Laighin - fiddle.
Jackie Mullen - mandolin.
Nick Watson - accordion.
I can still see the lights in the harbour,
I can still feel the roll of the sea,
I can still hear the birds as they call me back home,
Back where you’re waiting for me.
Now, I don’t know what I’ll say to you,
So I’ll sit here and write it all down,
Through those long, sleepless nights,
I’d still think of you,
Dressed, in your wedding gown.
And the gunfire fades in the distance,
As I pray to the Iolaire.
To bring me back home, bring me back home again,
Where I belong in your arms,
I pray to you, take me there.
I can still feel the crash as we ran aground,
I can still hear the roar of the sea,
I can still hear the cries of 200 lost souls,
I still hear you crying for me.
And those harbour lights are so distant,
As I pray to the Iolaire.
To bring me back home, bring me back home again,
Where I belong in your arms,
I pray to you, take me there.
And now the sea is my mistress,
And it’s there I’ll always roam,
For the sea, she took the Iolaire,
There on the Beasts of Holm.
And though you’re now so distant,
I still pray to the Iolaire.
To bring me back home, bring me back home again,
Where I belong in your arms,
I pray to you, take me there.
Bring me back home, bring me back home again,
Where I belong in your arms,
I pray won’t you, take me there.
​
4. The Immigrant's Song
(Song For Adriana)
Words and Music by Folky MacFolk Face.
Dougie Torrance - backing vocals, guitar.
Eabhnat Ní Laighin - fiddle.
Jackie Mullen - guitar.
Nick Watson - lead vocal, accordion.
​
He sat beside me as we stared at the sun,
And he told me the tale of the journey he’d done.
Across the ocean, far from his home,
Far from those places he’d known.
Then he told me of his land by the sea,
His dreams for the future, what it could be,
And he told me of a life torn apart,
And the thorn buried deep in his heart.
Then he whistled a sweet melody,
As we gazed in the fire, as we looked out to sea.
Then he sang, in his own foreign tongue,
A song that we knew as one.
And we sang until dawn,
As free as the moon and the sun.
And we sang the immigrant’s song,
We sang to the sea and the dawn.
Yes, we sang the immigrant’s song,
We sang till the fire was gone.
No deserver of his unchosen fate,
Sent here unwilling through hell’s fiery gates.
To salvation, on this foreign shore,
Driven from paradise lost.
Then he asked “How can I find my way home?
I’m lost and I’m broken, my heart feels like stone.”
Then he sang again and we all sang along,
And for a moment we were all home.
And the fire’s still burning strong,
Though that time and those faces are gone.
And we sang the immigrant’s song,
We sang to the sea and the dawn.
Yes, we sang the immigrant’s song,
We sang till the fire was gone.
​
And we sang the immigrant’s song,
We sang to the sea and the dawn.
Yes, we sang the immigrant’s song,
We sang till the fire was gone.
​
5. Rescue Me
Words and Music by Folky MacFolk Face.
Dougie Torrance - backing vocals, guitar, 12 string guitar.
Eabhnat Ní Laighin - fiddle.
Jackie Mullen - backing vocals.
Nick Watson - backing vocals, accordion.
Send your heart across the sea, rescue me.
Let your love light my way, rescue me.
I’ve been so alone, I’ve been on my knees.
Darlin’ bring me home, rescue me.
Another night staring out at this ocean,
Another night without your love or devotion,
I pushed you out, I should’ve let you in.
So many chances but none that I’ve taken,
Deep in despair that you’re no longer waiting,
I can see it now, I wish I’d seen it then.
And when night falls, hear me call.
Send your heart across the sea, rescue me.
Let your love light my way, rescue me.
I’ve been so alone, I’ve been on my knees.
Darlin’ bring me home, rescue me.
Now this city, it’s making me nervous,
I keep waking and thinking about us,
So far away and many years from now.
I’m at sea and this ocean’s in chaos,
Cast adrift in a storm that would break us,
Let your love dive in, and let it pull me out.
And when night falls, hear me call.
Send your heart across the sea, rescue me.
Let your love light my way, rescue me.
I’ve been so alone, I’ve been on my knees.
Darlin’ bring me home, rescue me.
Send your heart across the sea, rescue me.
Let your love light my way, rescue me.
I’ve been so alone, I’ve been on my knees.
Darlin’ bring me home, rescue me.
​
6. An Honest Man
Words and Music by Folky MacFolk Face.
Dougie Torrance - guitars.
Eabhnat Ní Laighin - fiddle.
Jackie Mullen - lead vocal.
Nick Watson - accordion.
He worked the earth, with modest hands,
Was so in love, he took the chance,
That she might care, for an honest man,
Who’d do for her, all that he can.
She’d ride down from the house on the hill,
And she would fall into his arms.
And down by the river, as they lay by the wall,
They made their promise of love.
For you…
I would walk every mountain, I would sail every ocean,
I would cross the skies above.
I am yours now forever, you must know that I’ll never,
Be without you now my love.
But a life so free, is seldom won,
She was betrothed to another’s son.
She cried “Love, please understand,
I was never free, to take your hand.”
I must leave my house on the hill,
Though I’ve prayed to the heaven’s above.
And though I’ll leave, you know that I will,
Remember our promise of love.
For you…
I would walk every mountain, I would sail every ocean,
I would cross the skies above.
I am yours now forever, you must know that I’ll never,
Forget you now my love.
Now his hands, do what they can,
But they’re the hands of an older man,
He took a chance, and though we fade,
He still recalls the promise they made.
He still goes to the house on the hill,
Though only the memories remain,
And as the sun goes down on the house on the hill,
He hears her whisper again.
For you…
I would walk every mountain, I would sail every ocean,
I would cross the skies above.
I am yours now forever, you must know that I’ll never,
Forget you now my love.
I would walk every mountain, I would sail every ocean,
I would cross the skies above.
I am yours now forever, you must know that I’ll never,
Forget you now my love.
​
7. Little Heart
Words and Music by Folky MacFolk Face.
Dougie Torrance - lead vocal, 12 string guitar, bass.
Eabhnat Ní Laighin - fiddle.
Jackie Mullen - mandolin.
Nick Watson - backing vocals.
I hear your music,
I hear your voice singing in the rain.
Your reckless beauty,
Has all your friends calling out your name.
And in the morning, I wake up with the sun.
Light me up, light me up.
And in the morning, I remember that you’re gone,
And I miss your little heart.
Little Heart, now you’re gone,
Now you’ve flown far away.
And though you’re grown, I still belong,
In your little heart.
I have your letters,
I’ve read your words, time and time again.
The world was waiting,
And you were always burning like a flame.
And in the morning, I wake up with the sun.
Light me up, light me up.
And in the morning, I see what I’ve become,
I still need your little heart.
Little Heart, now you’re gone,
Now you’ve flown far away.
And though you’re grown, I still belong,
In your little heart.
Little Heart,
You know that I love you, you’re the one.
Little Heart,
Smiling at me, dancing in the sun.
Little Heart, now you’re gone,
Now you’ve flown far away.
And though you’re grown, I still belong,
In your little heart.
Little Heart, now you’re gone,
Now you’ve flown far away.
And though you’re grown, I still belong,
In your little heart.
Spread your wings my Little Heart,
Spread your wings my Little Heart.
​
8. The Road to Cutter Creek
Words and Music by Folky MacFolk Face
Dougie Torrance - backing vocals, guitar.
Eabhnat Ní Laighin - fiddle.
Jackie Mullen - backing vocals, mandolin.
Nick Watson - lead vocal, accordion.
Left my home in Tennessee,
Walked out the old front door,
Headed west towards the sea,
And the distant California shore.
For the story had been told,
And the world was on its feet.
Great riches to behold,
In a land of opportunity,
In a land of opportunity.
Don’t you cry brother,
Don’t you cry sweet sister,
Don’t you cry dear mother,
Though the sun will rise no more,
Though the sun will rise no more.
I walked the road to Cutter Creek,
On the promise, there’d be gold.
But Lord, I was so weak,
And false dreams I had been sold.
For those mines would break your back,
And those mines will kill your soul.
And Lord, when I did crack,
Well, the whisky bottle took my gold,
The whisky bottle took my gold.
Don’t you cry brother,
Don’t you cry sweet sister,
Don’t you cry dear mother,
Though the sun will rise no more,
Though the sun will rise no more.
Now, the devil took my mind,
On that burning summer day,
For the gold that we did find,
I took his life away.
But I won’t give up hope,
That I’ll see you again,
Beyond the gallows rope,
In the glowing light that never ends,
In the glowing light that never ends,
In the glowing light that never ends,
In the glowing light that never ends.
So, don’t you cry brother,
Don’t you cry sweet sister,
Don’t you cry dear mother,
Though the sun will rise no more.
Don’t you cry brother,
Don’t you cry sweet sister,
Don’t you cry dear mother,
Though the sun will rise no more,
Though the sun will rise no more,
Though the sun will rise no more,
Though the sun will rise no more.
The sun will rise no more.
​
9. The Sands of Skalpsie Bay
Words and Music by Folky MacFolk Face.
Dougie Torrance - lead vocal, 12 string guitar.
Eabhnat Ní Laighin - fiddle.
Jackie Mullen - mandolin.
Nick Watson - backing vocals, accordion.
The fire had begun, before sunset was done,
At the end of the Sabbath day.
And I saw a sail, as I walked on the sand,
On the sand of Skalpsie Bay.
The ship drifted in, as the sun settled in,
For its starlit revelry.
It sailed for the light, that burned there so brightly,
It sailed in straight for me.
And then there she stood, with her shawl for a hood,
And a lamplight in her hand.
And as I stared at her, she let down her hair,
As fair as the Skalpsie sand.
Then she and the men, they looked at me then,
Unloaded their precious wares.
There were barrels and boxes, bottles and sacks,
From a distant, foreign land.
And then from the dunes, there raced the Dragoons,
Their murderous cries filled the air,
And as I ran to hide, I found by my side,
The girl with the sandy fair hair.
We ran from the shore, ‘till we could run no more,
And then we lay on the ground.
And as we listened there, still gasping for air,
We heard the most dreadful of sounds.
As under the moonlight, the starlight,
The sailors cried, “Away! Away!”
A lost fight, on the low tide,
On the sands of Skalpsie Bay.
We hid there till dawn, when the soldiers were gone,
And the birds did begin to cry.
And as I took her hand, as we walked on the sand,
She looked to the sky.
To pray for those men, who’d been there with her then,
But no words could she say.
Then she cried for them there, as the wind blew her fair hair,
On the sands of Skalpsie Bay.
Under the moonlight, the starlight,
The sailors cried, “Away! Away!”
A lost fight, on the low tide,
On the sands of Skalpsie Bay.
Now I was just fourteen and little had I seen,
Of love or woman kind.
And I had no plan, as I walked on that sand,
No cares nor troubles of mind.
And I’d always swore, I’d not break the law,
But for her, I’d steal the sun!
And though hard I tried, my love to hide,
Something was surely begun.
Under the moonlight, the starlight,
The sailors cried, “Away! Away!”
A lost fight, on the low tide,
On the sands of Skalpsie Bay.
Under the moonlight, the starlight,
The sailors cried, “Away! Away!”
A lost fight, on the low tide,
On the sands of Skalpsie Bay.
​
10. Don't Let Me Down
Words and Music by Folky MacFolk Face.
Dougie Torrance - backing vocals, 12 string guitar.
Eabhnat Ní Laighin - fiddle.
Jackie Mullen - guitar.
Nick Watson - lead vocal, accordion.
​
We met by the river near Marshalstown,
Standing there together as the sun went down,
I swore to her, we’d never get turned around.
I was busy making promises I couldn’t keep,
And as the sun disappeared we were on our feet,
Heading for the far side of any other town.
And she said “Love, oh love…”
Don’t let me down, don’t let me down!
I’ve got my feet to the floor,
And I’m heading out of town.
Don’t let me down, don’t let me down.
I've never been this way before,
And I won’t get turned around.
Don’t let me Down.
We headed for the border of Wexford County,
Trying not to think about the landlord’s bounty,
Trying hard to run from all of my mistakes.
I was only trying to feed us and keep her happy,
But it’s hard to live a life when you’ve got no money,
It’s hard to live a life when you just can’t get the breaks.
And she said “Love, oh love…”
Don’t let me down, don’t let me down!
I’ve got my feet to the floor,
And I’m heading out of town.
Don’t let me down, don’t let me down.
I've never been this way before,
And I won’t get turned around.
​
And I know that we’ve got nowhere left to run to,
But I swear upon the stars that shine above you,
I won’t let you down.
They met us as we crossed the bridge at Gorey,
And that’s where we must leave my story,
It breaks my heart, for the rest to tell.
For they took her from me there on the devil’s highway,
And she looked at me and cried out while they,
Bound my hands, they took my love away.
And she cried “Love, oh love…”
Don’t let me down, don’t let me down!
I’ve got my feet to the floor,
And I’m heading out of town.
Don’t let me down, don’t let me down.
I've never been this way before,
And I won’t get turned around.
Don’t let me Down.
​
11. In the Moonshine
Words and Music by Folky MacFolk Face.
Dougie Torrance - lead vocal, guitar.
Jackie Mullen - backing vocals, ukulele.
Nick Watson - backing vocals.
I was a lonely boy, I had nobody,
I’d sail the sea of love but love would sail right by me.
So I went swimming in the bottom of a bottle,
In the moonshine.
Then I saw her, she was perfection,
The winner in the race for natural selection.
Now we go swimming, swimming together,
In the moonshine.
In the moonshine, I saw her swimming in the moonshine,
And I knew then that she would be mine,
And we’d go swimming in the moonshine.
She is a dream, she is a wonder of nature,
And when I swim with her, no-one can touch her.
I think I’ll stay with her, swimming forever,
In the moonshine.
In the moonshine, I saw her swimming in the moonshine,
And I knew then that she would be mine,
And we’d go swimming in the moonshine.
​
Ba, ra ra ba, ba ra ra ba, ba ra ra ba, um ba ra da da.
Ba ra ra ba, ba ra ra ba, in the moonshine.
In the moonshine, I saw her swimming in the moonshine,
And I knew then that she would be mine,
And we’d go swimming in the moonshine.
In the moonshine, I saw her swimming in the moonshine,
And I knew then that she would be mine,
And we’d go swimming in the moonshine.
​
Ba ba ba ra, bap bap bap!
​
12. She Says She Loves Me
Words and Music by Folky MacFolk Face.
Dougie Torrance - lead vocal, guitar.
Eabhnat Ní Laighin - fiddle.
Jackie Mullen - backing vocals, guitar.
Nick Watson - backing vocals.
She says she loves me, she says it’s true,
She says she loves me, but I’m in love with you.
Lying here beside her staring at the candle light,
Trying not to think of you tonight.
Searching in the darkness for a memory of you,
Anything at all to get me through, to get to you.
She says she loves me, she needs me,
She’ll make my every day,
And she prays I’ll always stay.
She says she loves me, she says it’s true,
She says she loves me, but I’m in love with you.
Now, I would cross the sea for her,
And she would be my wife.
And we would make the best out of this life.
But you are still the one who loved me,
Right back at the start.
And you’re the one who tore me all apart,
You broke my worthless heart.
You said you loved me, you needed me,
And then you walked away.
As I begged for you to stay.
You said you loved me, you said it’s true,
You said you loved me and I fell in love with you.
And I can’t lie, when she sees me look your way,
When she sees me look your way, as you walk by.
She won’t believe me, when I tell her,
I would sail away with her.
I’d leave this troubled life and start again,
And I’d live all my days until their end.
With one who loves me, I know it’s true!
She says she loves me, so it’s fare thee well to you.
She says she loves me, I know it’s true!
She says she loves me, so it’s fare thee well to you.
Fare thee well to you, fare thee well to you.
​
13. James Binnie's Lament
Words and Music by Folky MacFolk Face.
Dougie Torrance - lead vocal, guitar.
Eabhnat Ní Laighin - fiddle.
Jackie Mullen - mandolin.
Nick Watson - backing vocals, accordion.
Somewhere I know, in darkened places,
Are pictures of someone I’ll never be.
Memories return, then are slowly forgotten,
On distant horizons far out to sea.
Blinded by light and cold in the darkness,
I’ve wandered to places I don’t belong.
Drowned by the noise and unfamiliar faces,
I long for our places, where did I go wrong?
And I know, I know, that it won’t be long,
It won’t be long ‘till I see you.
And though, I was always wrong,
Always wrong to leave you,
I still need you.
Footprints I’ve left have taken me further,
Than I ever dreamed I could possibly go.
But long, empty nights have taken me further,
To realise those things that I needed to know.
And I know, I know, that it won’t be long,
It won’t be long ‘till I see you.
And though, I was always wrong,
Always wrong to leave you,
I still need you.
There in the sunlight,
The reflections that danced in your eyes.
Life has no certainty and I mourn the day,
But you’ll always be something so beautiful.
Now that I’ve gone and seen what I wanted,
And done all those things that I wanted to do.
It’s clear as the sun, in those faraway places,
It’s clear to me now all I wanted was you.
And I know, I know, that it won’t be long,
It won’t be long ‘till I see you.
And though, I was always wrong,
Always wrong to leave you,
I still need you.
And I know, I know, that it won’t be long,
It won’t be long ‘till I see you.
And though, I was always wrong,
Always wrong to leave you,
I still need you.
So, I’ve been a fool and it’s taken me places,
Far from those faces I wanted to see.
And though each brand-new dawn,
Is bringing me homeward,
The sun never rises for someone like me.
​
14. Seallaibh Curaigh Eoghainn
Traditional, arranged by Folky MacFolk Face.
Dougie Torrance - backing vocals, 12 string guitar.
Eabhnat Ní Laighin - lead vocals, fiddle.
Jackie Mullen - lead vocals, guitar.
Nick Watson - backing vocals, accordion.
Seallaibh curaigh Eoghainn,
Is coig ramh fichead oirre.
Seallaibh curaigh Eoghainn,
'S i seachad air a Rudha Bhan.
Seallaibh curaigh Eoghainn,
Is coig ramh fichead oirre,
Seallaibh curaigh Eoghainn,
'S i seachad air a Rudha Bhan.
Bi Eoghainn, bi Eoghainn,
Bi Eoghainn na sgiobair oirr'.
Bi Eoghainn, bi Eoghainn,
'S i seachad air a Rudha Bhan.
Bi Eoghainn, bi Eoghainn,
Bi Eoghainn na sgiobair oirr'.
Bi Eoghainn, bi Eoghainn,
'S i seachad air a Rudha Bhan.
Seallaibh curaigh Eoghainn,
Is coig ramh fichead oirre.
Seallaibh curaigh Eoghainn,
'S i seachad air a Rudha Bhan.
Seallaibh curaigh Eoghainn,
Is coig ramh fichead oirre.
Seallaibh curaigh Eoghainn,
'S i seachad air a Rudha Bhan.
Bi Eoghainn, bi Eoghainn,
Bi Eoghainn na sgiobair oirr'.
Bi Eoghainn, bi Eoghainn,
'S i seachad air a Rudha Bhan.
Bi Eoghainn, bi Eoghainn,
Bi Eoghainn na sgiobair oirr'.
Bi Eoghainn, bi Eoghainn,
'S i seachad air a Rudha Bhan.
​
Bi Eoghainn, bi Eoghainn,
Bi Eoghainn na sgiobair oirr'.
Bi Eoghainn, bi Eoghainn,
'S i seachad air a Rudha Bhan.
Bi Eoghainn, bi Eoghainn,
Bi Eoghainn na sgiobair oirr'.
Bi Eoghainn, bi Eoghainn,
'S i seachad air a Rudha Bhan.
​
Seallaibh curaigh Eoghainn,
Is coig ramh fichead oirre.
Seallaibh curaigh Eoghainn,
'S i seachad air a Rudha Bhan.
Seallaibh curaigh Eoghainn,
Is coig ramh fichead oirre,
Seallaibh curaigh Eoghainn,
'S i seachad air a Rudha Bhan.
​
15. Under the Winter Sun
Words and Music by Folky MacFolk Face.
Dougie Torrance - lead vocal, guitar.
Eabhnat Ní Laighin - backing vocals.
Jackie Mullen - backing vocals.
Nick Watson - backing vocals, accordion.
I’ve walked through the snow where the wild deer go,
To the water, so perfect and clear.
Alone on the hill, with my shackles undone,
I feel alive, I feel alive, I feel alive.
How sweet smells the air, where no man stirs,
Up where the great eagles fly,
Alone on the hill, I’m as free as a bird,
I touch the sky, I touch the sky, I touch the sky.
So let me go, where I’m the only one,
Let me go, where my fears are undone,
Let me go where my spirit can run,
Under the sweet winter sun.
Now, who can be free in a life without choice?
Who can be free in this world?
And who can be heard when they have no voice?
Who’ll speak for them, who’ll listen, who’ll learn?
And what is a man, if not just a slave,
To the land on which he toils through the day?
And what is a man who would work to his grave,
And pour his young life away?
So let me go, where I’m the only one,
Let me go, where my fears are undone,
Let me go where my spirit can run,
Under the sweet winter sun.
So let me go, where I’m the only one,
Let me go, where my fears are undone,
Let me go where my spirit can run,
Under the sweet winter sun.
​