Skye Boat Song - (Speed, bonnie boat)

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.

Loud the winds howl, loud the waves roar,
Thunderclouds rend the air;
Baffled, our foes stand on the shore,
Follow they will not dare.

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.

Though the waves leap, soft shall you sleep,
Ocean’s a royal bed.
Rocked in the deep, Flora will keep
Watch by your weary head.

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.

Burn'd are our homes, exile and death
Scatter our loyal men;
Yet e'er the sword cool in the sheath
Charlie will come again.

Lyrics: Sir Harold Boulton

Melody: Annie MacLeod

Arrangement: Anders Nyberg

This historical ballad tells the tale of Bonnie Prince Charlie (Prince Charles Edward Stuart) and his flight from Benbecula to the Isle of Skye, following his defeat at the Battle of Culloden in 1746.

Sing it with urgency, as if it was your life that depended on it.

Try to get that rocking feeling of 3 against 2 when the 6/8 interferes with a 4/4-feel.

Here is one rendition of it! (Piteå Musikhögskolas Chamberchoir)