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The Gallowa’ Hills

[ Roud 3358 ; Ballad Index DTGallwa ; DT GALLWA ; Mudcat 120829 ; trad.]

Jeannie Robertson sang The Gallowa’ Hills to Hamish Henderson in London on 13 October 1958 in a recording that was released in the following year as the title track of her Collector EP The Gallowa’ Hills. She also sang it on her posthumous 1984 Lismor album Up the Dee and Doon the Don on which Hamish Henderson noted:

Now world famous, because Jeannie’s singing carried it far and wide, this song is a variant of one composed by Willie Nicholson, a gangrel musician who roamed the Galloway braes in the early years of the 19^th century, blowing the Lowland (or “caul’ wind”) pipes. Willie’s composition has in it the elements of an older Jacobite song.

Nigel Denver sang Gallowa’ Hills in 1964 on his eponymous Decca album Nigel Denver. He noted:

A story of a young man leaving or being evicted from his native land asking his lass if she will follow him. Learned from the singing of Jeannie Robertson.

Jean Redpath sang Gallowa’ Hills in 1986 on her Philo album Lowlands. She noted:

I learned this from the singing of Jeannie Robertson. Her song is a folk variant of a poem by William Nicholson (1783-1849), a local poet abd player of the cauld-wind pipes (Lowland pipes) who lived and wandered in Galloway. His collection Braes of Galloway gives the text as sunf to the tune White Cockade which might indicate thatit was based on an earlier Jacobite song (of Norman Buchan’s 101 Scottish Songs).

Ray Fisher sang The Gallowa’ Hills, accompanied by her husband Colin Ross on Scottish small-pipes and fiddle, in 1991 on her Saydisc CD Traditional Songs of Scotland. She noted:

This popular chorus song comes from the singing of Jeannie Robertson, the renowned ballad-singer from Aberdeen. Jeannie was of ‘traveller’ stock and spent much of her life ‘on the road’, as did her forebears who were members of the outlawed clans of Scotland. She is regarded as the finest source singer within the Scottish tradition.

Louis Killen sang The Gallawa’ Hills on his 1993 CD A Bonny Bunch. He noted:

The Gallawa’ Hills (Jeannie Robertson) concern love and faith, both necessary when beginning something new.

Norman Kennedy sang The Gallawa Hills at a concert at the First Parish of Watertown Unitarian Universalist Church on 23 October 1999. This recording by the Folk Song Society of Greater Boston was released in 2004 on his Autumn Harvest CD I Little Thocht My Love Wid Leave Me. He noted:

This was one of Jeannie’s favourite songs and, from her singing, the song became one of the standards of the Scottish folk repertoire.

Ed Miller sang The Gallowa’ Hills in 2006 on his CD Never Frae My Mind. He noted:

The Travelling people of Scotland have long been a rich reservoir of traditional songs, and it was to them folklorists such as Hamish Henderson went to collect songs in the early days of the folk revival that began in the 1950s. This song was recorded from such great Traveller singers as Jeannie Robertson and Belle Stewart, from whom it passed on to younger singers in the first generation of the revival such as Norman Kennedy and Jimmie Hutchison and which remains one of the best-known and most loved “singing songs” at folk festivals throughout Scotland.

The Gallawa Hills are in Galloway, the most southwesterly part of Scotland, and a beautiful area through which Travellers would move when going back and forward to Ireland.

Fraser and Ian Bruce sang Gallowa’ Hills on their 2017 album Auld Hat New Heids.

Hector Gilchrist sang The Gallowa’ Hills in 2018 on his WildGoose CD Gleanings. He noted:

This is a variation of the song written by a travelling musician Willie Nicholson who roamed around the area in the early 19^th century. Recorded by Hamish Henderson in 1958, it was made popular by the singing of Jeannie Robertson and later Ray Fisher.

Both ladies sing the line “wi heather bells and Bonnie Doon” perhaps mis-heard at some point in Jeannie’s version, as Loch Doon and its river lie firmly in the Ayrshire hills. Hence it should I think be, “wi heather bells in bonny bloom”

Jo Miller and Robyn Stapleton sang Gallowa Hills on Jo’s 2023 album A’ the Way to Galloway. She noted:

This song is particularly associated with traveller singer Jeannie Robertson (1908-1975), but there are variants by other singers. It is similar in text and imagery to The Braes of Galloway which may have been ‘remodelled’ for publication in broadsides through which the song circulated, evolving into the version of Gallowa Hills known today.

Lyrics

Jeannie Robertson sings The Gallowa’ Hills

For I’ll tak’ my plaidie, contentit tae be,
A wee bit kiltit abuin my knee,
An’ I’ll gie my pipes anither blaw
An’ I’ll gang oot o’er the hills tae Gallowa’.

Chorus:
O the Gallowa’ Hills are covered wi’ broom,
Wi’ heather bells an’ bonny doon;
Wi’ heather bells an’ riveries a’,
An’ I’ll gang oot o’er the hills tae Gallowa’.

For say bonnie lassie, it’s will ye come wi’ me
Tae share your lot in a strange country,
For tae share your lot when doon fa’s a’,
An’ I’ll gang oot o’er the hills tae Gallowa’.

For I will sell my rock, I’ll sell my reel,
I’ll sell my Grannie’s spinnin’ wheel,
I will sell them a’ when doon fa’s a’,
An’ I’ll gang oot o’er the hills tae Gallowa’.

Ray Fisher sings The Gallowa’ Hills

I will tak my plaidie, contented tae be,
A wee bittie kiltie abune my knee,
And I’ll gi’e ma pipes anither blaw
And I’ll gang oot ower the hills tae Gallowa’.

Chorus:
For the Gallowa’ hills are covered wi’ broom,
Wi’ heather bells and bonnie doon;
Wi’ heather bells and rivers a’,
And we’ll gang oot ower the hills tae Gallowa’.

For it’s, “Hi, bonnie lassie, will ye gang wi’ me,
Tae share your lot in a strange country,
For tae share your lot whan doon fa’s a’,
And tae gang oot ower the hills tae Gallowa’.”

For I will sell my rock, I’ll sell my reel,
I’ll sell my grannie’s spinnin’ wheel,
I will sell them a’ when doon fa’s a’,
An’ I’ll gang oot ower the hills tae Gallowa’.

Ed Miller sings The Gallawa Hills

O I’ll tak my plaidie contented tae be
A wee bittie kilted aboon my knee;
And I’ll gie ma pipes anither blaw
And I’ll gang oot ower the hills tae Gallawa.

Chorus:
O the Gallawa hills are covered wi broom,
Wi heather bells in bonnie bloom;
Wi heather bells and rivers a’
And I’ll gang oot ower the hills tae Gallawa.

For it’s come bonnie lassie will ye come awa wi me
Tae share your lot in a strange country,
Tae share yer lot when doon fa’s a’
And we’ll gang oot ower the hills tae Gallawa.

For I’ll sell my rock, I’ll sell my reel,
I’ll sell ma grannie’s spinnin wheel;
I’ll sell them a’ when doon fa’s a’
And we’ll gang oot ower the hills tae Gallawa.

Jo Miller and Robyn Stapleton sing Gallowa Hills

O I’ll tak ma plaidie, contented foe be,
A wee bittie kilted abune my knee,
An I’ll gie ma pipes another blow
An I’ll gang oot ower the hills tae Gallowa.

For the Gallowa hills are covered wi broom,
Wi heather bells in bonnie bloom;
Wi heather bells and rivers a’
An we’ll gang oot ower the hills tae Gallowa.

For I say bonnie lass, it’s will ye cam wi me
Tae share yer lot in a strange countrie,
Tae share yer lot when doon fa’s a
An we gang oot ower the hills tae Gallowa.

I will sell my rock, I’ll sell my reel,
I’ll sell ma grannie’s spinnin wheel.
I will sell them a’ when doon fa’s a
An we gang oot ower the hills tae Gallowa.