cuckoo bird

by Sam Shackleton

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about

When I was planning my second recording trip to Scotland, I knew I had to meet some local musicians who could well represent their culture. I was following in the footsteps of greats after all, like Alan Lomax, who spent a good deal of time in the far North recording folk songs. A traditional musician I reached out to was Sam Shackleton, (allegedly related to the notable Arctic explorer, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ernest_...) or Sorley, if you prefer the Gaelic spelling. Sam, a student of traditional music, Scottish culture, history and the Gaelic language invited us with open arms into his home in Edinburgh, the capital of Scotland, and showed us a night on the town i'll never forget. We drank our fair share of pints, caught some incredible sessions packed into pubs the size of American closets, and talked of Scottish independence late into the night.

Sam has been deep in traditional study at University the past couple years, and busking on the streets of Edinburgh. You can always tell a busker from a studio musician, I like to think. Buskers are louder, more emotive, a throwback to a time of traveling Bards, before amplification. You have only moments to impress a passerby for tips, and it forces you to hone your craft. Sorley lives up to his moniker, "the Bard", and puts on a show. This won't be the last time we meet, as I hope to return to Scotland for more recording, and Sam is keen to visit the Appalachian mountains he's heard so much about, where so many of his ancestors (and ours!) emigrated.

lyrics

Well, the cuckoo is a pretty bird
Well, she warbles when she flies
But I never caught a cuckoo
'Til the 4th day of July

I'm gonna build me a log cabin
On a mountain, oh, so high
So I can see Willie
Where then he goes on by

Well, I played cards down in England
And I played cards down in Spain
Well, I bet you ten dollars
That I beat you, oh, next game

Jack of diamonds, jack of diamonds
And I know you from old
And you robbed my poor pockets
Of my silver and my gold

Well your horses ain't hungry
And now they won't eat your hay
I'm gonna ride on a little further
Go to meet them on my way

Well, the cuckoo is a pretty bird
Well, she warbles when she flies
But I never caught a cuckoo
'Til the 4th day of July

credits

released November 12, 2020
Recorded by Anthony Simpkins

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about

Sam Shackleton Edinburgh, UK

I went to Edinburgh, Scotland and met with the young Scottish-scholar-in-the-making, Sam Shackleton, in 2019. There we recorded a number of songs, in his flat and on the streets of his city. More to come in the future, no doubt.

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