Highland faerie lullaby
I left my baby lying here, lying here, lying here
To go and gather blaeberries
Hobhan hobhan goriol gol
I never found my baby o
I heard the curlew crying far
I never heard my baby o
I searched the moor and tarn and then
Wandered through the silent glen
Saw the mist upon the ben
But never saw my baby o
From Robin Hall and Jimmie McGregor.
The recording I made with Derek (can't remember his surname - Walcott?). He had been offered a job singing at a company Christmas party! And he said we could do it. And then he asked me. I agreed, and we practised once before we went. It was my first (and only!) professional engagement as a folk singer. It was not a great success - and afterwards we raced through the streets of North London to the nearest underground station, clutching our guitars and our £10 notes, not quite sure whether we were escaping from the embarrassing situation, or aiming for a pub to celebrate.
About
Well it is called a lullaby, but of course it is about a baby who has been snatched by the fairies (faeries) while mother was doing something else - gathering blueberries for example.
Tarn is a mountain lake, glen (as in Glen Coe) is a long mountain valley, ben (as in Ben Nevis) is a mountain.
Have to confess - Robin and Jimmie did it better.