Auld Lang Syne: Robert Burns, In The Midnight Hour

Friday, December 31, 2010

Aside:

Today is a special New Year's Day (1.1.11). It's lst January, 2011. You won't get this combination again for another 100 years.

Auld Lang Syne/Origin:

Yes, he did. Robert Burns (image) Scottish poet, wrote Auld Lang Syne in 1788, the song that you sing at a party, as the clock strikes the midnight chimes to usher a new year.

The tune is a traditional Emglish folk song called the Roud, taken from the data base of a librarian called Steve Roud who compiled the list only recently in 1993. Click You Tube on right bar as you read: >>>>>>>>>>>

Meaning:

The words of the song, literally translated from old Scottish dialect, means Old Long Ago and is about love and friendship in times past. There are many other arrangements and interpretations of this folk song and Beethoven has one gem of a version.

Singapore tries very hard to have 'original' songs. Perhaps one of our composer could think of a version for this island. Wouldn't work would it? And in what language?

HAPPY NEW YEAR 2011!

Lyrics:

Should auld acquaintance be forgot

And never brought to mind?

Should auld acquaintance be forgot

And auld lang syne.

Chorus:

For auld lang syne my dear

For auld lang syne

We'll take a cup o' kindness yet

For auld lang syne.

For other postings on Robert Burns click 'Labels' below.

Original article: Andy Lim

Information from Wikipedia and other Websites.

Image: http://www.scottishpoetrylibrary.wordpress.com/

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'Come And Get It' - Badfinger, Burns - Dunedin

Wednesday, September 8, 2010

FOR unk DICKO, daughter and son-in-law:

The Banks o' Doon
YE flowery banks o' bonnie Doon,
How can ye blume sae fair!
How can ye chant, ye little birds,
And I sae fu' o' care!

Thou'll break my heart, thou bonnie bird,
That sings upon the bough;
Thou minds me o' the happy days
When my fause luve was true.

Thou'll break my heart, thou bonnie bird,
That sings beside thy mate;
For sae I sat, and sae I sang,
And wistna o' my fate.

Aft hae I roved by bonnie Doon,
To see the woodbine twine;
And ilka bird sang o' its luve,
And sae did I o' mine.

Wi' lightsome heart I pu'd a rose
Upon a morn in June;
And sae I flourish'd on the morn,
And sae was pu'd or' noon.

Wi' lightsome heart I pu'd a rose
Upon its thorny tree;
But my fause luver staw my rose,
And left the thorn wi' me.

Robert Burns

Image: Burns Statue, Dunedin.

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/9/99/BurnsStatueDunedin.jpg/250px-BurnsStatueDunedin.jpg

Reference: http://uncledicko.blogspot.com/

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Badfinger, Robert Burns, Christchurch, Dunedin (A Tall Travel Tale To Tell?)

NZNZNZNZNZNZNZNZNZNZ....SONGS I LOVE

It's a tragedy that New Zealand's Christchurch has been hit by an earthquake. The city brings back memories, having been there way back in the early 70s, when I was on a three week attachment from my one year stint in Wellington.

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The people are truly a lovely lot; they are warm, polite, hospitable, kind and mostly generous. My short stay had been a memorable one. I know the situation in Christchurch will improve and hope the people well.

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During the second weekend in this floral city, our group decided to travel south for a two day fun trip to Dunedin. As I wandered alone downtown on the second day, I met a lass gazing at the statue of *Robert Burns. We struck up a conversation and she told me she was Scottish. During our chat, we realised our interest were in Burns' poetry and pop music. Since the latter was more interesting, we whiled away our time exchanging songs and melodies we loved.
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So amidst discussion about Elvis, Cliff, Donegan, Donovan, Marmalade, Connie Francis, The Beatles and Russ Hamilton, she asked me if I knew a song by **Badfinger (image). I was struck dumb. "Bad who?" I asked surprised as I heard loudly the ego-bubble bursting. So as the Brit group was revealed, I learnt a song.

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To this day, Come And Get It (1970) will always be associated with Christchurch and Dunedin. Although it was many tears ago, I still recollect that the coffee we had was hot and me bonnie lassie was prettier than Dunedin's southern skies.

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But I had never really taken advantage of what was offered and we parted good friends. Now Audie Ng will understand why I love to sing, My Bonnie on stage.

The lassie from Dunee taught me the expressive introduction to Badfinger's hit:

If you want it, here it is come and get it
Mmm, make your mind up fast
If you want it anytime I can get it
But you'd better hurry, cause it may not last...

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*Robert Burns, The Bard, was a Scottish poet and a lyricist (1759 – 1796).
**No matter the tragedy within their ranks, Badfinger was one of the greatest Brit bands ever.

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