Lieder über Montrose
Wer in der schottischen Geschichte irgendwie namhaft geworden ist, über den gibt es auch Lieder. Leider haben kaum authentische Texte aus dem siebzehnten Jahrhundert überdauert. Ausnahme vielleicht "The Battle of Philiphaugh" und "The Bonnie House of Airlie", die aber zumindest ungenau, wenn nicht völlig unhistorisch sind. An neuerem Material gibt es zum einen ein Lied von Brian McNeill, das er sowohl solo als auch mit der Battlefield Band aufgenommen hat, zum anderen ein 15-Minuten-Epos von Steeleye Span.
Steeleye Span: Montrose, CD Live at Last
When James the King ruled by sceptered crown
With bishops and pen from London town
And the sword could ne'er bring Scotland down,
Where the cold north wind breathes through the dawn,
At Old Montrose on a winters morn,
The Fourth Earl's only son was born.
And he grew strong and he grew stern,
Of books and knowledge he would learn
And so to Glasgow he must turn.
For truth and valour he was named,
For bowmanship he was acclaimed,
And the silver arrow he did gain.
First through France then to London town
This noble youth did proudly ride
With his good bow strapped in behind.
Then his King's favour he has sought
But slander brought it all to nought
To Scotland he's fled back from court.
But new King Charles, so ill advised
By Hamilton and Laud likewise,
Scotland they betrayed by lies.
With papacy and bad intent,
A new prayer book to Scotland sent
To control the Kirk was his intent.
The paupers raged around St.Giles against the King's churchmen,
But Montrose spoke above them all, the peoples love to win.
So Jamie joined the Covenant, for war they did prepare
And he rode north to Huntly's house but found no welcome there.
So the gay red Gordon ribbons they chased around the land
Until at Inverurie Lord Huntly signed his hand.
So Montrose rode from Aberdeen where the Covenant held sway
To speak the King at Berwick, a truce was signed that day.
But the grim Geneva ministers put Montrose in a cell
And there he thought to serve Scotland and serve his King as well.
Meanwhile down south in England the Civil War began,
So Montrose rode to London town to parley with the King.
For a thousand men he pleaded to save his fair Scotland,
But he went home a general without a single man.
The giant Macdonald Alasdair with sixteen hundred men
From Ireland sailed to join Montrose and plunder Campells' glen.
Montrose's small united force of Gaelic men did lure
Against seven thousand Covenant on the field of Tippermuir.
Chorus:
Ill serve thee in such noble ways
Was never heard before
Ill crown and deck thee with all bays
And love thee more and more
With stones and bows, the screaming clans put Covenant to flight
That Sabbath day at Tippermuir was such a bloody sight,
Then marching north to Aberdeen where treasure could be found
The soldiers fought for bounty there while James fought for the crown
Chorus
His army now three thousand strong, he was resolved to go
To meet the Campbell in his lair through all the winter snow
King Campbell sailed from his castle strong as Montrose' pipes drew near
No refuge from the Lord on earth, no pity for Campbells here
Chorus
With Campbell lands all wasted, Montrose was forced to guess
To fight Argyll or Lord Seaforth on the road to Inverness.
It came to pass that Campbell's might was smashed on Loch Eil's shore
And the terror of Clan Diarmaid behold the glens no more
Chorus
At Auldearn, Alford, and Kilsyth, the Royal standard shone,
As Alexander he did reign and he did reign alone,
Then Montrose entered Glasgow with Scotland at his feet,
But the power could not be broken of the minister elite.
Chorus
Soon the year of miracles, like the slowly setting sun,
Was melting now before his eyes, all he could do was done.
At Philiphaugh and Carbisdale when fortune did turn cold,
Macleod the devils advocate sold James for oats and gold.
Chorus
The judges passed their cruel sentence, traitors laughed and jeered.
He stood unmoved in stately calm and spoke quite unafeared,
Nail my head on yonder tower, give every town a limb
And God who made shall gather them, I go from you to him.
As he turned from out the Hall, clouds left the sky,
To battle he has never walked more proudly than to die.
They set him high upon a cart, the hangman rode below,
There stood the Whig and West Country lords in balcony and bow
They brought him to the water gate, he looked so great and high,
So noble was his manly frame, so clear his steadfast eye.
The rebel rout forbore to shout and each man held his breath,
For well they knew a hero's soul was face to face with death,
Loving Scotland and his King, he went to death that morn,
A shudder ran across the sky, the work of death was done.
Chorus (2x)
(herzlichen Dank an Reinhard Zierke für den korrekten Text)
Brian McNeill: Montrose, CD No Gods:
Aus Copyright-Gründen drucke ich den Text hier nicht ab, er ist aber unter dem Link zu finden.
Weitere Montrose-Lieder
The Execution of Montrose
They brought him to the Watergate
A bound and helpless man,
As though they held a lion there
And no defenceless man.
They stood him high upon a cart.
The hangman rode below.
They drew his hands behind his back
And bared his noble brow.
CHORUS: Had I been there with sword in hand
And fifty Camerons by,
That day in high Dunedin's streets
You'd hear the slogan cried.
Not all the troops of trampling horse,
Nor might of mail and men,
Not all the rebels in the south,
Had born us backward then.
There stood the Whig west-country lords
At balcony and bower.
There sat the gaunt and withered dames,
Their daughters all around,
At every open window
Asking who this fool might be.
Those black cold covenanting carls
This goodly sport to see.
He is coming. He is coming
Like a bridegroom from his room.
Comes the hero from his prison
To the scaffold and his doom.
There was glory on his forehead.
There was lustre in his eye,
And he never went to battle
More proudly than to die.
(hoffentlich traditional) -- gesungen von den McCalmans
The Haughs of Cromdale beschreibt eine andere Schlacht, gute vierzig Jahre nach Montrose's Tod. Offensichtlich war man der Meinung, Montrose hätte diese Schlacht gewonnen, wenn er dabei gewesen wäre.
The Haughs of Cromdale
As I come in by Achindoon,
A little wee bit frae the town,
When tae the Hielands I was bound
To view the haughs of Cromdale.
I met a man in tartan trews,
I spiered at him what was the news,
Quo' he, "The Highland army rues
The e'er we came to Cromdale.
"We were in bed, Sir, every man,
When the English host upon us came;
A bloody battle then began
Upon the haughs of Cromdale.
The English horse they were so rude,
The bathed their hoofs in Highland blood,
But our brave clans, they boldly stood
Upon the haughs of Cromdale.
"But alas! We could no longer stay,
For o'er the hills we came away,
And sore we do lament the day
That e'er we came to Cromdale."
Thus the great Montrose did say:
"Can you direct the nearest way?
For I will o'er the hills this day,
And view the haughs of Cromdale."
"Alas, my lord, you're not so strong,
You scarcely have two thousand men,
And there's twenty-thousand on the plane,
Stand rank and file on Cromdale."
Thus the great Montrose did say,
"I say, direct the nearest way,
For I will o'er the hills this day,
And see the haughs of Cromdale."
They were at dinner, every man,
When the great Montrose upon them came;
A second battle then began
Upon the haughs of Cromdale.
The Grant, MacKensie and M'Ky,
Soon as Montrose they dis espy,
Then they fought most valiantly
Upon the haughs of Cromdale.
The M'Donalds they returned again,
The Camerons did their standard join,
M'Intosh played a bloody game
Upon the haughs of Cromdale.
The M'Gregors fought like lions bold,
M'Phersons, non could them control,
M'Lauchlins fought, like loyal souls
Upon the haughs of Cromdale.
M'Leans, M'Dougals, and M'Neils,
So bold as they took the field,
And made their enemies to yield
Upon the haughs of Cromdale.
The Gordons boldly did advance,
The Frasers fought with sword and lance,
The Grahams they made the heads to dance,
Upon the haughs of Cromdale.
The loyal Stewarts, with Montrose,
So boldly set upon their foes,
And brought them down with Highland Blows
Upon the haughs of Cromdale.
Of twenty-thousand Cromwell's men,
Five-hundred fled ot Aberdeen,
The rest of them lie on the plain,
Upon the haugh's of Cromdale.
(traditional) -- gesungen u.a. von Ewan McColl
Dann gibt es noch eins über die Schlacht von Philliphaugh, das jedoch in mehrfacher Hinsicht unhistorisch ist. Ein alter Mann, der Leslie's Truppen den guten Tip gibt, behauptet doch tatsächlich sowohl bei Solway Moss (1542) als auch bei Dunbar (1650) gekämpft zu haben. Wir erinnern uns: Philiphaugh war 1646...
The Battle of Philiphaugh
On Philiphaugh a fray began,
At Hairheadwood it ended;
The Scots outoer the Graemes they ran,
Sae merrily they bended.
Sir David frae the Border came,
Wi heart an hand came he;
Wi him three thousand bonny Scots,
To bear him company.
Wi him three thousand valiant men,
A noble sight to see!
A cloud o mist them weel conceald,
As close as eer might be.
When they came to the Shaw burn,
Said he, Sae weel we frame,
I think it is convenient
That we should sing a psalm.
When they came to the Lingly burn,
As daylight did appear,
They spy'd an aged father,
And he did draw them near.
`Come hither, aged father,'
Sir David he did cry,
`And tell me where Montrose lies,
With al his great army.'
`But first you must come tell to me,
If friends or foes you be;
I fear you are Montrose's men,
Come frae the north country.'
`No, we are nane o Montrose's men,
Nor eer intend to be;
I am Sir David Lesly,
That's speaking unto thee.'
"If you're Sir David Lesly,
As I think weel ye be,
I am sorry ye hae brought so few
Into your company.
`There's fifteen thousand armed men
Encamped on yon lee;
Ye'll never be a bite to them,
For aught that I can see.
`But halve your men in equal parts,
Your purpose to fulfill;
Let ae half keep the water-side,
The rest gae round the hill.
`Your nether party fire must,
Then beat a flying drum;
And then they'll think the day's their ain,
And frae the trench they'll come.
`Then, those that are behind them maun
Gie shot, baith grit and sma;
And so, between your armies twa,
Ye may make them to fa.'
`O were ye ever a soldier?'
Sir David Lesly said;
`O yes; I was at Solway Flow,
Where we were all betrayd.
`Again I was at curst Dunbar,
And was a prisner taen,
And many weary night and day
In prison I hae lien.'
`If ye will lead these men aright,
Rewarded shal ye be;
But, if that ye a traitor prove,
I'll hang thee on a tree.'
`Sir, I will not a traitor prove;
Montrose has plunderd me;
I'll do my best to banish him
Away frae this country.'
He halvd his men in equal parts,
His purpose to fulfill;
The one part kept the water-side,
The other gaed round the hill.
The nether party fired brisk,
Then turnd and seemd to rin;
And then they a' came frae the trench,
And cry'd The day's our ain!
The rest then ran into the trench,
And loosd their cannons a':
And thus, between his armies twa,
He made them fast to fa.
Now let us a' for Lesly pray
And his brave company,
For they hae vanquishd great Montrose,
Our cruel enemy.
(traditional, Child Ballad No. 202)
Weiterhin vielleicht erwähnenswert: The Bonnie House of Airlie, Child Ballad No.199 über die Zerstörung von Airlie Castle durch Argyll. Dieser Vorfall war einer der Anlässe für das Zerwürfnis zwischen Montrose und Argyll. Montrose hatte Airlie bereits durch eigene Truppen für die Covenanter besetzen lassen, aber Argyll brannte das Castle aus persönlichem Groll auf die Ogilvys trotzdem nieder.
Über Alasdair McColla gibt es auch noch ein (gälisches) Lied, "Alasdair Mhic Colla Ghasda", das z.B. von Clannad, James Graham, Julie Fowlis und Capercaillie aufgenommen worden ist.