The Skye Boat Song facts for kids
The Skye Boat Song is a well-known Scottish song from the late 1800s. It's based on an older Gaelic song from the 1700s called Cuachag nan Craobh, which means "Cuckoo of the Tree." The original song was about a poet who was sad because the person he loved didn't love him back.
But the English words, written later, tell a different story. They are about Prince Charles Edward Stuart, also known as "Bonnie Prince Charlie." The song describes his escape from the island of Benbecula to the Isle of Skye. This happened after he lost the Battle of Culloden in 1746. He was trying to avoid being caught by government soldiers.
Sir Harold Boulton, 2nd Baronet wrote the new English lyrics. He heard the tune from Anne Campbell MacLeod in the 1870s. Today, the line "Over the Sea to Skye" is very famous. It helps bring many tourists to the Isle of Skye.
Another writer, Robert Louis Stevenson, also wrote different lyrics for the tune around 1885. He thought the original English words weren't very good. So, he made new verses that he felt fit the sad tune better.
The song is often played as a slow, gentle lullaby or a waltz. It became a popular folk song in the 1900s. Many famous singers have performed it, including Paul Robeson, Tom Jones, Rod Stewart, Roger Whittaker, and Tori Amos.
Contents
The Story in the Song
The song tells the story of Bonnie Prince Charlie's escape. After his army lost the Jacobite rising of 1745, he had to hide. He dressed up as a serving maid and escaped in a small boat. He was helped by a brave woman named Flora MacDonald.
The song uses ideas from the Jacobite movement. This movement supported Bonnie Prince Charlie's family as the rightful rulers. Even though the song was written much later, it captures the spirit of that time.
Robert Louis Stevenson's version of the song even describes the boat's path. It mentions islands like Mull, Rum, and Eigg. However, this part isn't historically accurate. Prince Charles was only on Skye once, when he left Benbecula in the Outer Hebrides. He went there to avoid the soldiers who were searching for him. A boat from Benbecula would not have sailed south of Rum to get to Skye.
Where the Song Came From
The lyrics we know were written by Sir Harold Boulton, 2nd Baronet. He used a tune that Anne Campbell MacLeod (1855–1921) found in the 1870s. She later married Sir James Wilson.
The song was first published in 1884. It was in a book called Songs of the North, written by Boulton and MacLeod. This book was very popular and had many editions. In later versions, MacLeod's name was sometimes left out.
The song is written like an iorram. This is a type of Gaelic rowing song. According to Andrew Kuntz, who studies folk music, MacLeod was visiting the Isle of Skye. She was being rowed across Loch Coruisk. The rowers started singing an old Gaelic rowing song. It was "The Cuckoo in the Grove."
MacLeod wrote down the tune she remembered. She planned to use it in a book with Boulton. Boulton then added the parts about the Jacobite story. Many people later thought the song was an ancient Gaelic tune. But it was actually a newer song with traditional links.
The Skye Boat Song was not in older Scottish songbooks. But it is in most modern collections, like The Fireside Book of Folk Songs. It is often sung as a lullaby. It has a gentle, rocking rhythm.
Famous Recordings and Covers
The song was very popular when it first came out. The first recording was by Tom Bryce in 1899. It quickly became a favorite among Scottish folk musicians. From the 1960s, it became even more widely known. It has stayed popular in many types of music.
The song was used in the British World War II film Above Us The Waves (1955). This movie was about British midget submarines attacking a German battleship.
Michael Tippett included the song in his arrangements of Four Songs from the British Isles in 1957. These songs were for a choir.
Alfred Deller recorded a version for his album Western Wind in 1958. The famous artist and activist Paul Robeson also recorded it in 1959 and 1960.
Welsh singer Tom Jones recorded a version in 1965. It was on his first album, Along Came Jones. Esther & Abi Ofarim recorded it as "Bonnie Boat" in 1966.
In Doctor Who
Patrick Troughton played the song on his recorder in the TV show Doctor Who. He was the second Doctor. This happened in an episode called "The Web of Fear" in 1968.
Hits in Australia and New Zealand
In 1966, Peter Nelson and The Castaways from New Zealand released a version. So did Glen Ingram from Western Australia. Both versions were popular in Australia that year.
1970s and Beyond
Rod Stewart recorded two versions of the song between 1974 and 1975. They were released later in 2009.
"The Skye Boat Song" can be heard in the cartoon Dangermouse from the early 1980s. It's in the episode "Who Stole the Bagpipes."
Roger Whittaker and Des O'Connor released a duet version in 1986. It became a top 10 hit in the UK. Julian Lloyd Webber recorded an instrumental version on his album Encore! in 1986.
In the 1987 horror movie It's Alive III: Island of the Alive, the main character sings the song.
The Shadows played an instrumental version on their 1987 album Simply Shadows. Singer Tori Amos covered the song in 1988. James Galway and The Chieftains recorded an instrumental version in 1990. This version was used in a commercial.
Stellan Skarsgård's character plays this song on the cello in the 1992 film Wind. The Canadian punk band The Real McKenzies covered it in 1995.
21st Century Appearances
The music can be heard in an episode of Sex and the City before a wedding.
Scottish singer Barbara Dickson recorded the song in 2006. Marc Gunn included it on his 2013 album Scottish Songs of Drinking & Rebellion.
Bear McCreary used the song for the opening of the 2014 TV series Outlander. The singer Raya Yarbrough changed some of the words to fit the show's story.
It is also background music in some episodes of the TV series Dexter. Peter Hollens recorded an a cappella version in 2018.
The character Claire Louise McLeod sings it in an episode of the Australian TV series McLeod's Daughters.
George Donaldson of Celtic Thunder sang it in 2015. The Choral Scholars of University College Dublin recorded an arrangement in 2015.
The song was played by pipers as Queen Elizabeth II's coffin traveled to Windsor Castle on September 19, 2022. It was thought this might symbolize peace between old rival groups in Scotland.
The song appeared again in the Doctor Who episode "The Power of the Doctor" in October 2022. The Master played it on a recorder.
Lyrics and Melody
Original Lyrics
Chorus:
Speed, bonnie boat, like a bird on the wing,
Onward! the sailors cry;
Carry the lad that's born to be king
Over the sea to Skye.
1. Loud the winds howl, loud the waves roar,
Thunderclaps rend the air;
Baffled, our foes stand by the shore,
Follow they will not dare.
Chorus
2. Many's the lad, fought on that day
Well the claymore did wield;
When the night came, silently lay
Dead on Culloden's field.
Chorus
3. Though the waves leap, soft shall ye sleep,
Ocean's a royal bed.
Rocked in the deep, Flora will keep
Watch by your weary head.
Chorus
4. Burned are their homes, exile and death
Scatter the loyal men;
Yet ere the sword cool in the sheath
Charlie will come again.
Stevenson's Poem
Robert Louis Stevenson's poem from 1892 has also been sung to the tune. Here are his words:
Chorus: Sing me a song of a lad that is gone,
Say, could that lad be I?
Merry of soul he sailed on a day
Over the sea to Skye.
1. Mull was astern, Rum on the port,
Eigg on the starboard bow;
Glory of youth glowed in his soul;
Where is that glory now?
Chorus
2. Give me again all that was there,
Give me the sun that shone!
Give me the eyes, give me the soul,
Give me the lad that's gone!
Chorus
3. Billow and breeze, islands and seas,
Mountains of rain and sun,
All that was good, all that was fair,
All that was me is gone.
Other Versions
There is also a hymn version of the tune. It is known as "Spirit of God Unseen as the Wind." The words are a bit different.
The "Skye Boat Song" has also been made fun of in a song. This was done by Dawn French and Jennifer Saunders on their comedy show.