Scotland’s Story – Theater het Kielzog

Scotland’s Story

“We’re all Scotland’s story and we’re all worth the same” Beautiful words from this song, we loved it so much that we decided to call our latest record Scotland’s Story and name the 2021/2022 theater shows after this album.

It is also a little personal to David Myles, as some people might know his father is from Scotland, so part of his story started there. So now we have haggis and bagpipes in the Netherlands.

In the words of William, Scotland welcomes everyone and everyone contributes to the story of Scotland. Everyone contributes to the culture of Scotland in every possible way, Haggis is no longer just the national dish, William enjoyed Pizza and Shawarma there.

Background Information Scotland’s Story

Originally by The Proclaimers, a version of this song was played at Nelson Mandela’s 1993 welcome to the city of Glasgow after this release from prison. He was given the symbolic keys to the city 12 years earlier in 1981 while still in prison. The special visit was a wonderfull occasion for much singing and dancing, the dancing was done by Nelson Mandela himself on stage at a rally for freedom.

Nelson Mandela’s Welcome to the city of Glasgow is the tune we are playing on the bagpipes at the end of the song. A totally brilliant tune by Blair Douglas who was a founder member of Runrig. We connected the lyrics by the Proclaimers by accident to this tune and we ended up with a wonderfull song and a great story.

Lyrics Scotland’s Story

Michael McGrory from west Donegal
You came to Glasgow with nothing at all
You fought the landlord then the Africa Korps
When you came to Glasgow with nothing at all

Abraham Caplan from Vilnius you came
You were heading for New York but Leith’s where you’ve stayed
You built a great business which benefits all
Since you came to this land with nothing at all

In Scotland’s story I read that they came
The Gael and the Pict, the Angle and Dane
But so did the Irishman, Jew and Ukraine
They’re all Scotland’s story and they’re all worth the same

Joseph D’Angelo dreams of the days
When Italian kids in the Grassmarket played
We burned out his shop when the boys went to war
But auld Joe’s a big man and he forgave all

In Scotland’s story I’m told that they came
The Gael and the Pict, the Angle and Dane
But where’s all the Chinese and Indian names?
They’re in my land’s story and they’re all worth the same

Christina McKay, I learned of your name
How you traveled south from Delny one day
You raised a whole family in one room they say
And the X on the line stands in place of your name

So in the old story I’ll bet that I came
From Gael and Pict and Angle and Dane
And a poor migrant girl who could not write her name
It’s a common old story but it’s mine just the same

All through the story the immigrants came
The Gael and the Pict, the Angle and Dane
From Pakistan, England and from the Ukraine
We’re all Scotland’s story and we’re all worth the same
Your Scotland’s story is worth just the same

Scotland’s Story is available on CD and Vinyl

Our record at Plato!

Our wonderful record at our local record store: Plato in Groningen just received some Scotland’s Story albums! These lovers of vinyl took one look at it and immediately said: “good quality vinyl and great artwork as always with Rapalje!”

So if you are ever in Groningen, visit Plato at Oude Ebbingestraat 41 and maybe they will be playing Scotland’s Story in the store for you. Of course you can also get it in our online shop, if you want to have one of your own as soon as possible.

Buy Scotland’s Story on Vinyl here

Livestream Saturday October 10

Unfortunately our performances in Berlicum and Bladel are not possible due to the Covid measures, so we are going to live stream again. On the border between the Netherlands and Germany, so we can wave to William, he lives in Germany and like this we can still play together, you could say a borderline case =)

We hope to see you all this Saturday, October 10 at 4:00 PM CET. See you then! Live on Facebook & YouTube

Support us at https://rapalje.com/stream

Help David support the cultural sector: https://rapalje.com/donation

Shop for beautiful Rapalje products: https://rapalje.com/shop/

Come and see us in person: https://rapalje.com/agenda/

Caledonia – RTV Drenthe

Caledonia

Rapalje plays Caledonia here between the Hunebedden in Drenthe, with RTV Drenthe they went out to Hunebed het Loon (D15) to record the song “Caledonia”. This is one of the most requested songs at Rapalje.

We have seen many tears of sorrow, emotion and joy with this song. It has often happened that a wedding proposal is made when we start playing Caledonia. It is also regularly performed at funerals. There are many people in our midst who have a special thought about Caledonia and it remains a very beautiful song.

Background Information Caledonia

Dougie MacLean’s love song to his homeland has become an anthem of Scottish pride but it was written in just 10 minutes on a beach in France when he was in his early 20s.  “I wrote it in my very early 20s on a beach and then finished it off in a youth hostel somewhere around Paimpol in Brittany. “I was genuinely homesick and it was just a little song I wrote.” Dougie MacLean says he had been busking around Europe with three Irish guys but the day after writing the song – with its lyric “Caledonia you’re calling me and now I’m going home” – he set off back to Scotland.

Lyrics Caledonia

I don’t know if you can see
The changes that have come over me
In these last few days I’ve been afraid
That I might drift away
I’ve been telling old stories, singing songs
That make me think about where I came from
And that’s the reason why I seem
So far away today
Let me tell you that I love you and that I think about you all the time
Caledonia you’re calling me and now I’m going home
If I should become a stranger you know that it would make me more than sad
Caledonia’s been everything I’ve ever had
I have moved and I’ve kept on moving
Proved the points that I needed proving
Lost the friends that I needed losing
Found new ones on the way
I have kissed the ladies and left them crying
Stolen dreams, yes there’s no denying
I have traveled hard with conscience flying
Somewhere with the wind
Let me tell you that I love you and that I think about you all the time
Caledonia you’re calling me and now I’m going home
If I should become a stranger you know that it would make me more than sad
Caledonia’s been everything I’ve ever had
Now I’m sitting here before the fire
The empty room the forest choir
The flames that couldn’t get any higher
They’ve withered now they’ve gone
But I’m steady thinking my way is clear
And I know what I will do tomorrow
When the hands are shaken and the kisses flow
Then I will disappear
Let me tell you that I love you and that I think about you all the time
Caledonia you’re calling me and now I’m going home
If I should become a stranger you know that it would make me more than sad
Caledonia’s been everything I’ve ever had

Buy this album now

This Saturday, Finally @ Dieb

 

This Saturday, Finally @ Dieb, we hope to see you all in the stream!

 

We planned a livestream at Dieb before but had to cancel it as Dieb was not feeling well yet, but now we are for sure going to be playing and talking with you in Diebs wonderful home, do you have any special requests for this stream?

See you at on October 3rd at 20:00! Live on Facebook & YouTube

 

Support us at https://rapalje.com/stream

Help David support the cultural sector: https://rapalje.com/donation

Shop for beautiful Rapalje products: https://rapalje.com/shop/

Come and see us in person: https://rapalje.com/agenda/

Birdshow Rapalje Zomerfolk 2019

Rapalje Zomerfolk 2019 had a very special final act, who are hidden behind these wonderful and strange birds, could it be David? Or perhaps some Zomerfolk artist? Maybe our Vana friends are involved? Questions questions, but we had a truely great time with this act, did you enjoy it too?

 

 

Unboxing our new Record

In the theater, on the stage, what a nice place to unbox our new record together. Not everything goes as planned of course but you can clearly see how happy we are with this beautiful piece of Vinyl. Dieb made a wonderful design, what would you like to know about how our record was created?

On sale in our webshop from Friday 18 September at 20:00

Galway Girl – Bevrijdingsfestival

Galway Girl

Rapalje released this great song on the CD Clubs in 2012, in 2020 this is still one of our favorite songs. This video was recorded during our concert at the Liberation Festival in Zwolle.

Background information “Galway Girl”

Galway Girl is a song written by Steve Earle. It was released in the year 2000. It is about the semi-autobiographical story of Steve Earle and his reaction to an encounter with a beautiful girl, Bodhrán player Joyce Redmond with black hair and blue eyes. The meeting is of course in Galway, Ireland. In 2007 the song was also used in the romantic movie P.S. I Love You.

Lyrics “Galway Girl”

Well, I took a stroll on the old long walk
on a day -I-ay-I-ay
And I met a little girl and we stopped to talk
on a nice soft day -I-ay-I-ay

And I ask you, friend, what’s a fella to do
Cause her hair was black and her eyes were blue
And I took her down and I givin’ a twhirl
‘Round the Salthill Prom with a Galway girl

Well we were halfway there when the rain came down
on a day -I-ay-I-ay
And she asked me up to her flat downtown
on a nice soft day -I-ay-I-ay

And I ask you, friend, what’s a fella to do
Cause her hair was black and her eyes were blue
So I took her hand and I gave her a twirl
And I lost my heart to a Galway girl

When I woke up I was all way down
on a day -I-ay-I-ay
With a broken heart and a ticket home
on a nice soft day -I-ay-I-ay

And I ask you friend, what would you do
If her hair was black and her eyes were blue
I’ve been around all over the world, boys
But I ain’t never seen nothin’ but a Galway girl

Buy this album now