Crowdie and Cream

Home ] Up ]

 

Written after a holiday on Harris.  I had been reading the books of
Finlay J Macdonald about his boyhood memories of island life and was
moved to write a song, one of my first attempts at songwriting.  As you can
see the end product went for a geographical wander across Scotland and
also did a bit of time travel.

1

On the west coast of Harris an old crofter stands
Reflecting on times when he once farmed the land
Scraping a living frae crotal and wool
The warp and the weft and the three legged stool
But the bottom dropped out o’ the market one day
Down in the city both sons earn their pay
And what of the future a nightmare or dream
The rough with the smooth, the crowdie and cream

2

 There once was a village full of story and song
Which provided a living, where people belonged
But in came improvers for profit the planned
Get rid o’ the people, put sheep on their land
As Sutherland emptied the death ships were filled
The roofs fell in and the soil wasnae tilled
And what of the future a nightmare or dream
The rough with the smooth, the crowdie and cream

3

When boats filled the harbours and herrin’ swam free
They gutted the fish on many’s a quay
Frae Newlyn tae Lerwick and waters beyond
They followed the darlin’ tae earn a pound
But storm clouds gathered with no land in sight
The quotas, the tie-ups, the fisherman’s plight
And what of the future a nightmare or dream
The rough with the smooth, the crowdie and cream

4

 Frae the mills in the Borders tae the rigs in the North
The ships frae the Clyde and the fish frae the Forth
They’ve all had their time but time aye moves on
What dae ye dae when yer livin’ is gone
The sun may set but again it will rise
Tomorrow’s the question and tomorrow’s the prize
Aye look tae the future hang onto your dream
You’ll always be livin’ on crowdie and cream 

                                                              © Robert W M Clark