1950s skye boat song

Good to have that input Anniebach before we disappear down a rabbit hole!
Yes OP come back in & tell us if any of our posts jogged your memory?
I’m with you Gonegirl I spent ages on this last night. Mind you I wasn’t doing anything else useful. ?

That's why I think the OP might have muddled up the two songs.

I love searching for obscure music.

Annie. unless of course when sang by the Corries

Sing me a song of a lass that is gone
Say, could that lass be I?
Merry of soul, she sailed on a day
Over the sea to Skye

Mull was astern, Rum on the port
Eigg on the starboard bow
Glory of youth glowed in her soul
Where is that glory now?

Sing me a song of a lass that is gone
Say, could that lass be I?
Merry of soul, she sailed on a day
Over the sea to Skye

This is the version written by BearMcCreary for Outlander

if you want to know the history of the song listen to this (but make sure you have some tissues handy!)
www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b01mk23j
It doesn't help with who sang it. But I suspect the Beeb had a number of core singers they used for Singing Together- a bit like backing singers their names weren't well known.

It's about Bonnie Prince Charlie isn't it?

Yes but it wasn't written until 1870- and a woman wrote the tune!

Leaving me, for one, searching every corner of the internet! I give up
I was scouring through all the YouTube versions of it and enjoying it very much!

Takes me back to school days when we used to sing many of these old songs. I always understood that 'Over the Sea to Skye' was an old folk song about Bonnie Prince Charlie and Flora MacDonald. I didn't know it was written comparatively recently.

Kathleen Ferrier definitely sang Blow the Wind Southerly and also on a nautical theme, The Keel Row.

I loved Westering Home. Wasn't there a very similar song by Vera Lynn? So similar that there was a court case over copyright, as I recall. Can't remember the title of that second song, though. It'll no doubt come to me in the middle of the night....

Vera Lynn sang a song called Travelling Home, which to my ear sounded very similar to Westering Home. Here's a link: www.youtube.com/watch?v=CUj2ujUcSyg

I think the outcome of the copyright case was that they were not the same and no law had been broken.

We didn’t listen to radio broadcasts for schools at my school, but if I was at home for any reason (illness, different holidays and so on) I was an avid listener, and I do remember the programmes.

As a young child I was convinced the Skye Boat Song was about Jesus. It was that bit about ‘the lad born to be king’. I mean, that was usually Jesus, wasn’t it? I didn’t question what he was doing in Scotland, if indeed I even knew it was about Scotland.

Nooo Grandma70s
He was the (presumed to be) rightful Stuart heir to the throne!

It is to do with the Jacobite Rebellion of 1745.

At eight o'clock, June 28th, Saturday, 1746, the Prince, Miss Flora MacDonald, Neil MacKechan, etc. set sail in a very clear evening from Benbecula to the Isle of Skye. It is worth observing here that Benbecula is commonly reckoned a part of South Uist, they being divided from one another by the sea only at high water, which then makes a short ferry betwixt the two; but at low water people walk over upon the sand from one to the other.

They had not rowed from the shore above a league till the sea became rough, and at last tempestuous, and to entertain the company the prince sung several songs and seemed to be in good spirits.

In the passage Miss MacDonald fell asleep, and then the Prince carefully guarded her, lest in the darkness any of the men should chance to step upon her. She awakened in a surprise with some little bustle in the boat, and wondered what was the matter, etc.

Nothing to do with Jesus.

Jesus may have walked upon England's mountains green
On Englands pleasant pastures seen!

but I don't think he got as far as Scotland

He was a wee foppish Italian born man who wanted to take back the throne of the UK .I dont think or in fact I was taught that he was never all that interested in Scotland it was the UK as a whole that he wanted .He used the clans ,as his followers in England were scarce on the ground.He was Catholic for a start and that wasn't what the English wanted .The legend is nice but not accurate ,the romance of a king fighting for his throne doesn't give a true picture of the 45 rebellion .
There are still people who say they are the true heir to the Scottish throne ,I think one Polish man ,Prince somebody and a man who lives in Australia.Even if/when we get Independence I dont think they would be welcomed back .We've outgrown monarchy ,its best left in the 1700's.
But its a nice song .Burns wrote some great songs about the Rebelllion,Ye Jacobite By Name is one you might like .It'll be on You Tube Eddi Reader does a good version
Jamila Scotland is Gods Own Country ,so we had the Father not the son...lol

youtu.be/-e7eqCldZ7E

Paddyann Lovely song,
Possibly a warning against the Jacobinism during the French Revolution, I believe Burns spent some time in France.

Because my Paternal grandfather and father were huge Rabbie fans and recited Burns at every opportunity, it was often the case of putting my hands over my ears and muttering 'not more Burns'
Now I miss it!
Maybe it's time to get out the Robert Burns Books

Cripes, they were still doing Singing Together when I was at primary school.

My primary 5 teacher had Opinions About Music and she only let about four or five of the class actually sing whilst the rest of us sat in deadly silence, voices having been deemed "unacceptable".

Mad old bat

Cherrytree it was written about the 45 rebellion,its well documented

posted too soon,you could get the Eddie Reader Burns album,its a good start to Burns songs ,a special favourite of mine is John Anderson My Jo and she sings it beautifully

I loved that programme and the Skye Boat Song was one of my favourites. In our tiny one classroom village school the big radio was in a cupboard which was ceremoniously opened and we all (24) of us sat at the dinner table to join in the songs.
We bought our shoes at a shop which had 'Prince Charlie's House' emblazoned on the front of the building. Apparently he stayed there during the Jacobite siege of Carlisle. I have since read all about it and was horrified to realise that in school we never learned any of this amazing history of our local area. By the way the story would make a compelling mini series! Lack of forethought, poor planning, rumours, fear and plain incompetence all round and on all sides ... remind you of anything?!

I've just remembered another favourite which we voted as the best one year. It must have been between 1954 and 1957 I think. I have just sung it straight through!

Far far away is my pearly Adriatic.
Far far away is my pretty island home.
Far far away is my lovely Isabella.
Far far away from her I now must roam.

For I'm a sailor, sailing right across the ocean.
Tossed by the billows, tossed by the foam.

Chirry birry birry I'm a sailor.
Chirry birry birry I'm a sailor.
Chirry birry birry I'm a sailor.
Sailing away from home.

60+ years since I learned that. Now I wish I could remember where I put my keys so well!!

To all those who have corrected me: I did realise by the time I was about 11 that the Skye Boat Song wasn’t about Jesus!

If only children were taught such lovely songs now.

muffinthemoo they were still doing Singing Together when I started teaching, and almost when I retired!
If you want a trip down memory lane you can buy copies of the booklets on e-bay. (I DO NOT NEED ONE! -I have to keep repeating this!)
www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Geoffrey-Fraser-SINGING-TOGETHER-1958-Engravings-BBC-Rhythm-and-Melody-SCHOOLS-/132945726471

I can't add to the posts above except that this was oneof the songs we learnt at school. We learnt many sea-songs, because we were on the NE coast.
Another one, a hymn
Eternal Father strong to save
Whose arm has bound the restless wave.....