Ah the Corries, they were in a one night gig in Largs a small resort on the mid west of Scotland. Their gig was in the hall right next to a hotel. Where I and my my mum and dad were staying on holiday for a week. Their gig was on the last night of our holidays, and i wanted to see them live. I tried to get both parents in and my dad joined me, both of us enjoyed it. There was only them on with the stage littered with musical instruments. It was if they were playing just for you in a small place, brilliant stuff. I think we must have been probably the only English people in their but we both enjoyed it.
Forget the mangled history and enjoy the song. These boys are true artists. I was listening to the Ian Campbell version of "Baron O'Brackley" (superb) based on a real incident and subsequently found it was based on 2 incidents 80 years apart and the wife was respectably married to a Dr a few years later! So please enjoy it as a cracking song and leave the history lessons to other sites.
Cameron's did their standards join, this part of the song always gives me a chill, no matter what stance you take on the nationality issue, as a soldier
Here I come back months later to rest something. Montroses spirit rang thru these battles, with tune and fair to Montrose. He was "spirit" guidance for many of the volunteers and trained fighters. Aye for a good tune and great compnay.
My absolutely favourite by the Corries...I know it since 1976! First I thought must be Horse of Cromdale until a Scottish student came to our communitiy and slept in our house. I took him up by car! And he said to me: "Haughs of Cromdale"....! I have here about 6 CD's of the Corries. The Corries will lead Scotlland to be a nation once again. As the time has come now! go and make a Nation Once Again. England ist on the loose!
As the corries said themselves the lyrics are artistic licence stretched to limit! take two battles about 50 years apart ,reverse the order they happened in and then condense the story into a 24hr period!! Geniusss
The song also mentions Montrose who fought in the English Civil War, and died 41 years before the battle of Cromdale. Oliver Cromwell is also mentioned at the end of the song as being defeated by Montrose. So its like the name of a Jacobite battle is used to describe events of the English Civil War 40 years earlier.
@@ThomasRobertson-ox5urYes but this is about the one executed in 1650. The song reimagines the Battle of Auldearn as revenge for Cromdale even though Auldearn was fought in 1645 and Cromdale in 1690.
Its about regional pride, and the effectiveness of a small force on a larger one if the belief is there. Many excellent books on the Marquis of Montrose, he was one of the greatest military generals the UK has seen. (And hands on)
I read elsewhere those were deliberate: they would dress in their performance clothes to get in the concert mindset. I guess they would drive the van from gig to gig in their grubby comfy t-shirts.
Before every battle Montenegro and Serbian tribesmen listen singers that played epic songs and after that they went as avalanche on enemy This band had a unique voice equal to singers from that times
As I come in by Auchindoun, Just a wee bit frae the toun, To the Hi'lands I was bound To view the Haughs of Cromdale. I met a man in tartan trews, Spiered at him (asked) what was the news, Quo' he, "The Hi'land army rues That e'er we come to Cromdale. "We were in bed, sir, every man, When the English host upon us cam; A bloody battle then began Upon the Haughs of Cromdale. The English horse they were so rude, They bathed their hoofs in Hi'land blood, But our brave clans, they boldly stood Upon the Haughs of Cromdale. "But, alas! We could no longer stay, And o'er the hills we come away, Sore we do lament the day That e"er we come to Cromdale." T Hus the great Montrose did say: Hi'land man show me the way I will over the hills this day, To view the Haughs of Cromdale." They were at their dinner, every man, When great Montrose upon them cam; A second battle then began Upon the Haughs of Cromdale.The Grant, Mackenzie and M'Ky,As Montrose they did espy,Then they fought most valiantlyUpon the Haughs of Cromdale.The McDonalds they returned again,The Camerons did our standard join,McIntosh played a bloody gameUpon 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.And the loyal Stewarts, wi' Montrose,So boldly set upon their foes,Laid them low wi' Hi'land blowsLaid them low on Cromdale.Of twenty-thousand Cromwell's men,A thousand fled to Aberdeen,The rest of them lie on the plain,There on the Haughs of Cromdale.Of twenty-thousand Cromwell's men,A thousand fled to Aberdeen,The rest of them lie on the plain,There on the Haughs of Cromdale.
Why do people have to comment on politics and winning/losing great historic battles. Why can people not listen to the song for what it is, a song! Great words, great rythm and over all great voices combined brilliantly together!
I stand corrected, I am not a history teacher, and I should keep my mouth shut about things I know nothing about, and so should we all, these are great artists and should be recognised as such, the history thing is on another site as the bright young person just pointed out.
who cares guys! stop thinking so much! this song is playing on emotions and if you don`t want your emotions played upon in the first place don`t listen to it! It is an incredible song and I for one think the Scottish won a great deal more battles than they are given credit for because as we all know the victor, in the end, writes the history books we all learned from... Was Montrose there? nope.. but who is to say the song is referring to only one time period? Burns was creative..he gets respect
this song could get me to go into battle. :) its slightly too bad such things start to get lost over time through the generations. *sigh* I like such songs ayway. :)
LYRICS: As I come in by Auchindoun, Just a wee bit frae the toun, To the Hi'lands I was bound To view the Haughs of Cromdale. I met a man in tartan trews, Spiered at him (asked) what was the news, Quo' he, "The Hi'land army rues That e'er we come to Cromdale. "We were in bed, sir, every man, When the English host upon us cam; A bloody battle then began Upon the Haughs of Cromdale. The English horse they were so rude, They bathed their hoofs in Hi'land blood, But our brave clans, they boldly stood Upon the Haughs of Cromdale. "But, alas! We could no longer stay, And o'er the hills we come away, Sore we do lament the day That e"er we come to Cromdale." T Hus the great Montrose did say: Hi'land man show me the way I will over the hills this day, To view the Haughs of Cromdale." They were at their dinner, every man, When great Montrose upon them cam; A second battle then began Upon the Haughs of Cromdale. The Grant, Mackenzie and M'Ky, As Montrose they did espy, Then they fought most valiantly Upon the Haughs of Cromdale. The McDonalds they returned again, The Camerons did our standard join, McIntosh played a bloody game 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. And the loyal Stewarts, wi' Montrose, So boldly set upon their foes, Laid them low wi' Hi'land blows Laid them low on Cromdale. Of twenty-thousand Cromwell's men, A thousand fled to Aberdeen, The rest of them lie on the plain, There on the Haughs of Cromdale. Of twenty-thousand Cromwell's men, A thousand fled to Aberdeen, The rest of them lie on the plain, There on the Haughs of Cromdale.
you have to understand that is is of the fight the battle of being defeated once and not giving up of continuing the fight, My Ancestors though not of the Camerons or the Gordons fought for them tracable to the first war, take up that fight, that ancient quarrel and see it through and it is that combat that drive that is what the song is driving at.
I love this tune, I am stationed in Iraq and play this one on my pipes when the wogs mortar and rocket us. The don't get close enough to spear them on the bayonet, my preferred responce (no claymore available) but I hope they can hear the Haugh's O'Cromdale.
If you go to any bit torrent site you should usually find 1 or 2 to download. I've found the albums: Live Alive O Heritage Peat Fire Flame The Comedy Collection all on differing bit torrent sites
This is one of the greatest song in the world! (my opinion ^^) Can anyone maybe send me the cords or tabs for this song? Because i cant find it on the world wide web ;)
If you want to play it the way they do, notice what key they are in. Then let the melody guide you. I pick up many songs this way. It is played w/o a lot of embellishments so it shouldn't be too hard to do.
@Traitorfish Not that 'Scots Wha Hae' was a Jacobite song. The period it alludes to is about 400 years earler. Cromdale is a good song but the lyrics make little sense. The real battle was Scot v Scot in the first Jacobite Rising. Yet this song seems to be about a battle between an army led by Montrose and a Cromwellian English army. Never happened - and if it did it wouldn't be a Jacobite song! Those guys lived about 50 years before the first Jacobite Rebellion.
basically the first two and a half verses of the song which describe the Jacobite defeat at Cromdale in 1690 make sense except it says the enemy were English which they weren't. It was the Scottish gvt army which defeated the Jacobites. The rest of the song is completely made up. It suggests that Montrose rallies the defeated and raises another army which defeats the English army led by Cromwell. Both Montrose and Cromwell had been dead for half a century and no such battle took place between
Montrose was dead himself years before the Cromdale battles began, and his last line kin and grand kin were well after the years of battle ready-ness by about 10-15 years (60-80) so why would Montrose be quoted and stated in this song? I dont mind, Montrose won many a battle and will forever have a place in my heart!
Montrose was dead himself years before the Cromdale battles began, and his last line kin and grand kin were well after the years of battle ready-ness by about 10-15 years (60-80) so why would Montrose be quoted and stated in this song? So what???????
Not made up so much as confused, perhaps? I think it conflates two different battles fought at the same place, which should, like you say, have had much longer between them.... ? I do like the song, though.
The song mentions English, wrong. This was 30 April - 1 May 1690 and it was a Scottish Government Army who dispatched the Jacobite/Stuart Clans and cleared the field of the rebellious Clans. You’d think the Corries would have tried to sing ‘accurate’ songs of Scots battles rather than anti English propaganda. Sad.
They were folk singers singing folk songs. Don't need to get your knickers in a twist about it. Also, the full show (not this snippet here) they actually explain that it's about two battles and that "PR was even rife in those days"
during their period anyway! So yes it is a great song as it stands as a song. But there is also no harm in knowing that the lyric is nonsense historically.
@gemmahanson Some of us just like to fight, the blood starts to boil, you snap that bayonet on the end of your rifle inside your head and you just want to kill. You either have that blood in you or you don't. Any excuse for a fight, verbal or otherwise, can't be helped. We fight wars, our fathers fought wars, our fathers fathers, etc. etc.
I also think that we need to remain a united nation, but all this is a song about a battle long long ago, of whom many many great men died for nowt but lead us to unite, against oppression which was the formation of the UNITED KINGDOM.
as a Member of the Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry with two combat tours to Afghanistan I must say that we call our rear Ech WOGs (with out Guts) however the proud warriors sorry walkie I have yet to see any unless they were Americans, Brits (Scots included), Aussies or Canadians. Don't be bitter about taking the shilling clearly you did not have a good time prehaps it was that attitude of yours
