Wild Mountain Thyme<br>
Wild Mountain Thyme<br>
Francis McPeake<br>
Hear "Wild Mountain<br>
Thyme" performed by Wild Mountain Thyme on their CD One<br>
Verse and chorus: Full song: (1.3 MB)<br>
OR<br>
Hear "Wild Mountain Thyme" performed by Andrew<br>
Scarhart<br>
Verse and chorus:<br>
.mp3<br>
(640 KB) | .mp3 (640 KB)<br>
Full song: .wma (1.3 MB) |<br>
.mp3<br>
(2.6 MB)<br>
<br>
Notes: "Wild Mountain<br>
Thyme," also commonly known as "Will You Go Lassie, Go"<br>
was first recorded by Francis McPeake in 1957 for the series "As I Roved<br>
Out" on<br>
BBC. We've found conflicting information on whether he actually wrote this<br>
song. Ireland the Songs, Volume 2, pub. 1993<br>
Walton Mfg, Walton Music Inc. says, "He learned it from his uncle, which<br>
gives it definite Ulster credentials." However, Eric Winter writes in the<br>
liner notes<br>
of the 1995 re-release of The Corries: In Concert/Scottish Love Songs:<br>
... this is an elegant variant of a<br>
Scottish song by Robert Tannahill (1774-1819), "The Braes of Balquidder."<br>
The senior member of the McPeake family of Belfast, Francis I, wrote this<br>
version (the tune is markedly different from Tannahill's) and dedicated it<br>
to<br>
his first wife. Long after she died, he married again and his son, Francis<br>
II,<br>
wrote an extra verse to celebrate the marriage.<br>
The younger Francis McPeake still lives in<br>
Belfast and is a well known Uilleann piper. (Thanks to Chris<br>
Caldwell of Aghalee, Co. Antrim for that tidbit.)<br>
I've added an extra, modern verse at the<br>
end, written by Jay Hirshman for his daughter, Rebecca.<br>
Sheet<br>
music<br>
Oh, the summertime is comin',<br>
And the trees are sweetly blooming,<br>
Where the wild mountain thyme<br>
Grows around the blooming heather<br>
Chorus<br>
Will ye go, lassie, will ye go?<br>
And we'll all go together to pick wild mountain thyme<br>
All around the blooming heather.<br>
Will ye go, lassie, will ye go?<br>
I will build my love a bower<br>
By yon pure crystal fountain<br>
And around it I will place<br>
All the flowers of the mountain.<br>
Chorus...<br>
If my true love e'er should leave me<br>
I would surely find another<br>
Where the wild mountain thyme<br>
Grows around the blooming heather.<br>
Chorus...<br>
Oh, the autumn-time is comin',<br>
And the leaves are gently falling,<br>
Where the wild mountain thyme<br>
Grows around the blooming heather<br>
Chorus...<br>
And an extra verse if you're looking for a<br>
happy ending:<br>
Now our daughter's grown up fine<br>
And a suitor comes a callin'<br>
I can see it in her eyes<br>
It's a true love that's blooming<br>