Author: David Myles

Home is Where My Friends are – EM2 With Fan Applause

Posted on by David Myles

Home Is Where My Friends Are

William brought  this song to the Rapalje repertoire. He heard a song during a nice evening in his favorite Pub, part of the lyrics just stuck in his head and even his dreams, eventually Home is Where my Friends Are came out of this. We found the original song played in Williams pub, this was “Back to Donegal” by Rory McLoad, so this was the inspiration for Home is Where my Friends Are

The tune we play in this song is called Pride of Petravore, other songs have also been written for this.

Pride of Petravore

As far as we know, William Houston Collisson (1865-1920) is the writer of Pride of Petravore and is a traditional hornpipe tune. Percy French (1854-1920) wrote the lyrics to the song, which means it is now also called Eileen Og. The two were friends, stage partners, and college composers. In our CD “Into Folk” we have written the musical notes.


sheet music Pride of Petravore

Lyrics of “Home is where my friends are”

I’d like to introduce you to the band that’s playing
All the way where we came from, you don’t want to know
Going down to Tager, play for pints of lager
I’m just following the road, I go to Donegal

Home is where my friends are
You are all part of me
I leave you with this song
Are you comming, are you going, are you trying to stop me

Play six and reels and jigs at one time, I just think I’m going fine
I don’t care what’s going on and I could be alone
Coming through St. Prady’s and all the pretty ladies
But none of them is as beautiful as down in Donegal

I love ladies, I can’t get enough I dance with them ’till my legs fall of
Pretty ladies I see them and side by side we go
I’m drinking ’till I’m pissed of, going ’till I have to mud down
In the bars of Rotterdam I dream of Donegal

I love you true Alida but I think I’m gonna leave you
I don’t want to sit at your place watching years go by
Sitting with your fatty on your ugly satty
I’m dreaming away the plans I’ve got when I return in Donegal

The barman rings the bell, in announcement to everybody:
“Have you got no homes to go to”
And I sing: “I ain’t got no home in this world anymore
I’m just passing through”

(You don’t have to go home, but you can’t stay here)

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Skye Boat Song – Theater het Kielzog

Posted on by David Myles

During the corona lockdown we gave a unique concert for stuffed animal toys from Caden Myles, the son of David Myles in the Kielzog theater in Hoogezand. Unfortunately our violinist was ill during this livestream and for us it took some getting used to giving a concert without an audience.

The Skye Boat Song

An old Scottish national anthem. The melody dates from 1870 and the text we sing is from 1892, written by Robert Louis Stevenson. Since the hit series ‘Outlander’ it became even more popular and we always love the reaction of the audience when they recognise the first notes.

Background information

The first contact with the song was back in 1995 when David Myles had to practice it in bagpipe class. An old traditional that has already been sung by several artists. David wanted to play The Skye Boat Song within the band and persuaded the other members to play along, shortly before a performance after William had the lyrics in his head, Dieb came up with the idea to play the song on Uilleanpipes instead of the Scottish bagpipes and a structure was devised. An hour later “The Skye Boat Song” was presented to the public and it remains one of our favorites. Even the front cover of the CD “Scotlands Story” is based on this.

The song is about Prince Charles Edward Stuart (Bonnie Prince Charlie) ‘s journey from Benbecula to the Isle of Skye during an escape after his defeat at the Battle of Culloden in 1746.

Stevenson’s version is more about the inner feelings of the defeated prince. Ambition and optimism have been replaced by a feeling of tired loss.

Sir Harold Edwin Boulton’s original 1870 song ends with a sense of heroic failure and a romantic expression of future victory. Stevenson’s ending, however, is poignant and realistic. In the song, he realizes that he has lost everything, even his own identity: “All I was is gone.” The “boy” he once was is gone and will never return.

Lyrics

[Chorus]

Sing me a song of a lad that is gone,
Say, could that lad be I?
Merry of soul he sailed on a day
Over the sea to Skye.

Mull was astern, Rum on the port,
Eigg on the starboard bow;
Glory of youth glowed in his soul;
Where is that glory now?

[Chorus]

Give me again all that was there,
Give me the sun that shone!
Give me the eyes, give me the soul,
Give me the lad that’s gone!

[Chorus]

Billow and breeze, islands and seas,
Mountains of rain and sun,
All that was good, all that was fair,
All that was me is gone.

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Long May You Run – Pieterburen releasing Seals

Posted on by David Myles

Aftermovie of our trip from Pieterburen to release seals in the Wadden Sea. Our live stream opening song was “Long May You Run”. With this song we have added images from our tour into a very nice compilation. We really enjoyed this experience and really appreciate the work Pieterburen does for the seals. Unfortunately our violinist is missing during the recording due to illness.

Background Info “Long May You Run”

Originally written by Neil Young, our singer William thinks it’s a great song and wanted to play him with our band Rapalje. This gives the song its own sound and it is fantastic for us to play.

Neil’s beloved Buick hearse, “Mort,” was the inspiration for this song. Neil drove “Mort” from Toronto to Los Angeles, where he met Stephen Stills and founded Buffalo Springfield. Later Neil drove a Pontiac hearse “Mort 2”

Neil was on his way to Sudbury in Canada when ‘Mort’ broke down in Blind River, Ontario in June 1965. (the lyrics in the song are, “well, it was back in Blind River, 1962, when I last saw you alive”) the year is incorrect, but the song is about this story.

Neil Young is pictured here in the middle in front of his Mort.

Pieterburen releasing Seals

Both Rapalje and Pieterburen are Groningen crowd favourites who have been able to reach thousands of people with various live streams in recent months. During this, a combination of live acoustic music and conversations about seals and the mudflats will be broadcast. The combination of seals and music is not very far-fetched. This summer, the Sealcenter will open an exhibition dedicated to the language and sense of rhythm of seals.

The cooperation between the Sealcenter Pieterburen and Rapalje is a striking one, but there are two nice similarities. First, both of them had been able to reach thousands of people through live streams of music or seals being cared for throughout the COVID-19 crisis. Second, seals and music have more in common than people generally assume. Seals have been proven to have a sense of rhythm and can “parrot”!

Precisely now pups are born at a certain location in the Wadden Sea that require intensive care from their mother for a few weeks. This bond is often broken due to disruption. Rapalje would like to make sure that these animals get well again.

Lyrics

We’ve been through some things together
With trunks of memories still to come
We found things to do in stormy weather
Long may you run.

Long may you run. Long may you run.
Although these changes have come
With your chrome heart shining in the sun
Long may you run.

Well, it was back in Blind River in 1962
When I last saw you alive
But we missed that shift on the long decline
Long may you run.

Long may you run. Long may you run.
Although these changes have come
With your chrome heart shining in the sun
Long may you run.

Maybe The Beach Boys have got you now
With those waves singing “Caroline No”
Rollin’ down that empty ocean road
Gettin’ to the surf on time.

Long may you run. Long may you run.
Although these changes have come
With your chrome heart shining in the sun
Long may you run.

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11 September MPS Skulpturenpark Vlog 2

Posted on by David Myles

Ours gigs at MPS Skulpturenpark in Bückeburg are amazing! It really is fantastic to see all of our MPS family and friends. An unforgettable time and we will be back at MPS Skulpturenpark at 19 september! If you like to see what’s going on there: Check our Watchparty on 11 September!

We will be back at MPS Skulpturenpark on 19 September, see you there?

Watch the Bückeburg complete Vlog 2 with us on 11 September 20:00

Dunmore Lassies – Back to School

Posted on by David Myles

We gave a musical lesson at primary school De Westerburcht in Eelde on the Friday before the schools were allowed to reopen after they were closed by Covid-19. The images during Dunmore Lassies are holiday photos from Ireland by David Myles

Dunmore Lassies

This is a traditional also called Dunmore Lasses or Morrison’s Reel.

The original title is Morrison’s Reel and refers to Galway flutist Tom Morrision (1889-1958). When recording the melody at 78 rpm in 1927 it was titled “the Dunmore Lasses”

Morrison’s Reel

Three-time Ireland champion Irish flute player Paddy Carty (1929-1985, Loughrea, County Galway) recorded the tune as “Morrison’s” on his 1975 Shanachie Records album. Carty was known for his smooth East Galway playing style.

Sheet music Dunmore Lassies

Practice Dunmore Lassies with David Myles

Dunmore Lassies on Spotify

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Glen Coe – Pumpkin’s Fancy – Theater het Kielzog

Posted on by David Myles

During the corona lockdown we gave a unique concert stuffed toys in the Kielzog theater in Hoogezand. We opened the concert with Glen Coe – Pumkin’s Fancy and we had to do this concert without our violinist Dieb.

Glen Coe

Glen Coe is a fantastic volcanic valley in the Scottish highlands. The valley is named after the river Coe flowing through it.

The song, the melody of which we play on the bagpipes, is about the “Massacre of Glen Coe” The Glen Coe Massacre from 1692, in which 37 men of the Clan Donald were slaughtered and at least 40 women and children perished.

Pumpkin’s Fancy

Composed by Dublin piper (GHB variety) Terry Tully, This is one of the first hornpipe tunes our David learned. The song is characterized by the slides that you hear in the song.

Wat zullen we Drinken with Ganaim

Posted on by David Myles

What we really missed, besides the “real” audience, is playing together with other bands. During our show at Hallig Langeness with Ganaim we didn’t miss out on the opportunity, which resulted in this fantastic version of “Wat Zullen We Drinken”. What a party! What do you think of this Dutch-German variant?

Check our upcoming shows here https://rapalje.com/agenda/

 

Rapalje congratulates Mark van der Stelt during Castlefest

Posted on by David Myles

Mark van der Stelt, organizer of Castlefest, had his birthday recently, which is why Rapalje had planned to break into the Vana Events office and fire a confetti cannon there. All this was filmed and shown to him during the Castlefest Home Edition 2020, where of course his reaction was recorded. You can see if everything is going as planned in this video.