"Johnny he's a -riding" genre: Celtic
	lo fi play (dial-up) hi fi play (broadband) download (4.1 MB)	email track to a friend	add to My.MP3
	This is a ballad on the life and death of John Armstrong, 'Black Jock', the laird of Gilnockie and notorious thief and reiver, hanged by James V of Scotland in 1530 on the field of Carlinrig high above Hawick town.
	Credits: © David Kilpatrick May 2003
	Story Behind the Song This song has been a sort of part-completed thing in my head for several years. In March 2003, I was asked to take part in a concert to launch the first Hawick Reivers' Festival, and decided to complete it. The words given here are what it should be; what I sing tends to vary a little, down to the order of lines or even or verses. This is recorded entirely using inexpensive musical instruments made in Romania - a 12-string acoustic-electric guitar, a long scale acoustic-electric bass, and a bouzouki fitted with a Pickup The World internal pickup. The microphone was also very low cost, a Chinese made SE-1 costing $99. It is put through a Joe Meek VC-3 compressor and enhancer, and because of the rather 'electric' feel of this recording, I've happily let rip with reverb! Glossary - reivin' is stealing, mainly cattle rustling but also housebreaking and arson and murder (etc). Black kye are the local black cattle. The moss is the boggy land on top of the Border hills; the muir is dryer land. The 'hot trod' was the legimitate pursuit of reivers by the wronged party, riding in horseback with a burning turf held aloft on a spear - this gave them the right to cross the border with impunity, to recover their goods (either way). Lyrics Johnny he's a ridin', a reivin', a ridin' Johnny he's a ridin', out owr moss and muir Nane kens whaur he's hidin' The black kye that he’s drivin' Secret paths a'guidin’ Them hamewards oer the muir (opening lines repeated as a chorus each time) Mony a widow leavin' A-greetin and a-greivin' Lamenting her bereavin' That Jock came oer the muir He’s set the thatch a burnin' Before he’s homeward turnin' Hard lessons for the learnin' When Jock rides oer the muir! The hot trod canna catch him Though they swift despatch them Nae English horse can match him Ridin' oer the muir The king has come to find him Tae tak' him and to bind him Tae tie his haunds behind him And hang him oer the muir Now Johnny's no more ridin' No reivin', no ridin' Johnny's no more ridin' Out ower the moss and muir! But his ghost is still hiding The black kye that he's drivin' By secret dark pools bidin' Upon the moss and muir! (etc to finish)

Copyright notice. All material on MP3.com is protected by copyright law and by international treaties. You may download this material and make reasonable number of copies of this material only for your own personal use. You may not otherwise reproduce, distribute, publicly perform, publicly display, or create derivative works of this material, unless authorized by the appropriate copyright owner(s).