Thursday 11 July 2019

The United Kingdom of Song #36: Oban


Another picturesque Scottish seaside town today, in the Firth of Lorn. Musically, it's the birthplace of folk singer Aiden O'Rourke and a couple of famous bagpipe players.

It's also the second town in this feature to get name-dropped by Everything But The Girl... although this one wasn't written by Tracey Thorn, but her other half Ben Watt, who also make a rare lead vocal showing here. Tracey provides gorgeous backing vocals, otherwise this song truly would be Everything But The Girl.

The highlands and the lowlands
Are the roots my father knows
The holidays at Oban
And the towns around Montrose

But even as he sleeps
They're loading bombs into the hills
And the waters in the lochs
Can run deep but never still

I've thought of having children
But I've gone and changed my mind
It's hard enough to watch the news
Let alone explain it to a child
To cast your eye 'cross nature
Over fields of rape and corn
And tell him without flinching
Not to fear where he's been born

Then someone sat me down last night
And I heard Caruso sing
He's almost as good as Presley
And if I only do one thing
I'll sing songs to my father
I'll sing songs to my child
It's time to hold your loved ones
While the chains are loosed and the world
Runs wild

1 comment:

  1. McCaig's Folly at the back of the picture
    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/McCaig%27s_Tower


    ReplyDelete

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