'Thig Am Bata (the Boat Will Come)

Failte my little gaels worldwide, Is mise Rebecca, if you read my first blog which was a clusterfuck of ramblings, hopefully my blogs will have more structure from now, i am jamming to one of my favourite tunes that comes up quite often in gaelic folk music and that is the theme for the song i am listening to it is called 'Thig Am Bata in English it is known as "the Boat will come, the haunting melody tells the story of two sisters one the elder is jealous of the younger ones fortune, not as in money but as in her life, the song is the younger sister singing bout how the boat will come for her with her husband and through this we learn she has 2 young children, i will post the lyrics

'Thig Am Bata

Thig am bàta àill i ò
Ro àilleagan àill i ò
Moch a-màireach haoi ò
Ro àilleagan àill i ò
Bidh m' athair innte
's mo thriùir bhràithrean
Mo chèile donn
air ràmh bràghad
Gheibh iad mise
air mo bhàthadh
Togaidh iad mi
air na ràmhan
Mo thrusgan donn
Snàmh na fairge
Mo chuailean donn
Am measg nan carraigean
Mo bhroids airgid
Am measg nan gainmheach
Cha b' e 'n t-acras
chuir dhan tràigh mi
Miann an duileasg
miann nam bàirneach
Sòraidh eile
gu mo phàisdean
Fear dhiubh bliadhna
fear a dhà dhiubh
A' fear bliadhna
nach eil làidir
Dh' fhàg mi e
as a' chùlaist
Iarraidh e a-nochd
cìoch a mhàthar
Ma dh' iarr chan fhaigh e
ach sùgan sàile
O mo mhollachd
Aig bean eudaich
Dh' fhàg i mise
'S an sgeir bhàthte
Thig am bàta
moch a-màireach
Gheibh iad mise
air mo bhàthadh.

gaelic is such a beautiful language, to have this song sung in english would loose some of the meaning it would not be as haunting but it would still have an effect here are the lyrics in English

The boat will come, àill i ò
Ro àilleagan àill i ò
Early tomorrow haoi ò
Ro àilleagan àill i ò
My father will be on board and my three brothers.
My brown-haired husband at the breast-oar.
They'll find me drowned.
They will lift me up on the oars.
My brown cloak swimming in the sea.
My brown locks among the carageen.
My silver broch among the sand.
It wasn't hunger that sent me to the shore
or a craving for dulse or limpets.
Another farewell to my little ones,
one a year old, one a two year old.
The year old, who is not strong,
I left him in the back room.
Tonight he will ask for his mother's breast.
If he does he will get only sea-water.
Oh my curses on the jealous woman
She left me on the rock of drowning
The boat will come early tomorrow,
They'll find me drowned.

quite a fantastic song. i chose this tune for todays discussion because i have been thinking about my Great Grandfather who was from South Uist, i never had a chance to meet him but the word boat stuck in my head,i dont know if i still have family there, i have decided that after i finish my stint in Culinary school as i want to be a pastry chef i will travel to South Uist, and maybe settle down there after i retire some place quiet with a great community with lots of music and conversation. i remember when i was little my grandfather alway had a tape of pipe music and loads of stories to tell..and worthers originals for me, he always smelled like peppermint and camphor oil, Grampy Makes Bagpipes out of industrial Nylon and they are fantastic and stay in tune for a long long while, i am glad he is still around he is quite a treasure among us nova scotians when he is gone everything will seem less bright, at least the Highland games are coming up, you see in certain parts of Nova Scotia we are steeped in Gaelic heritage and traditions, we still have milling Frolics in Antigonish if you check out milling frolics in antigonish you can see what i am talking about,

well if you are still with me then i commend you for i am sure i have bored you to tears with stuff you probably shan't ever care for

good night all

Rebecca

'Mfhearann Saidbhir

Failte! all my little gaels out there in the little big planet! the reason i call it a little big planet is because the world seems smaller due to the advances in technology nothing is far away anymore as it would have been back in history before the internet, china would have seemed exotic in the 17 and 18 century because it would have taken months to get there, now we can converse with someone in china in a matter of seconds, as opposed to sending a letter which would have taken weeks if not months, sorry for that little tangent, i just wanted to explain my reasoning. all right now to the matter at hand, this is my first blog, My name is Rebecca and i am from Alba Nuadh, more commonly known as NOVA SCOTIA EH! (yes i fit into that stereotype of canadians saying eh all the time) so as i sit here sipping my Maple tea and listening to the wonderful and ethereal tones of the wonderful and lovely Julie Fowlis i came to the conclusion that while i understand words(very few) in her songs i should embrace my heritage and culture finally my great grandfather emmigrated from South Uist in the outer hebrides to Boisdale in Cape Breton, i know very little bout South Uist, or the language and my heritage, unfortunately i have been unable to trace where my great grandfather came from in South Uist due to the vast amounts of Niall Campbells at that time.....

so my challenge to myself is to start learning Scottish Gaelic because where i live it is not widely spoken but it is on the welcome and goodbye signs but in antigonish where i was born the signs are Bilingual so the blog is all about all things gaelic pertaining to me and my history and surroundings

so pip pip cheerio for now to all my (nonexistant) readers

until next time, Rebecca