Sharing the video and the tabs in this blog post!
Hey everyone! So here I am again sharing a new video and kalimba tabs for the traditional scottish song "Skye Boat song", used as the opening song for the TV series Outlander.
I've been meaning to cover this one for a while, but I wasn't sure if I was going to cover it on violin or kalimba.
Some facts about the Ske Boat song:
- This song dates back to late 19th-century and recalls the journey of Prince Charles Edward Stuart from Benbecula to the Isle of Skye, after being defeated at the Battle of Culloden in 1746;
- Alternative lyrics were written by Robert Louis Stevenson, probably in 1885. The version that plays on Outlander opening uses these lyrics;
- This song was recorded by a lot of artists including Rod Stewart, Tori Amos and Tom Jones.
Original Skye Boat Song 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 in 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 version
[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.
source: Wikipedia (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Skye_Boat_Song)
Kalimba tabs and video - Skye Boat Song (scottish traditional / Outlander opening)
So, here are the video and the kalimba tabs for you to learn it as well if you like! First, some important things before you try to play it:
- This song does not have accidentals, and therefore can be played on a diatonic kalimba, like mine in the video;
- My kalimba was tuned in C for this video (standard tuning for this model of kalimba). To follow the kalimba tabs, you can either glue the numbers on the tines of your kalimba like I did or memorize them, you choose. Some models come with numbers on the tines already.
So, without further ado, here are the tabs and the video. I hope they are helpful to you somehow! If you would like to see more kalimba tabs on my blog, please let me know in the comments!
Video:
Tabs:
Here I share the tabs. Where I wrote the numbers together, for example, "1. - 3 - 5", they are meant to be played at the same time, or with a little slide (like a chord). Where I wrote the numbers with a little dot by the side, please play the higher octave version of that note (on the kalimba, these are noted with a dot above the number, but it was easier for me to write the dot by the side).
Well, please let me know in the comments if you have some questions or suggestions for future posts or songs. See you on the next post!
Xoxo, Isabelle
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