Tuesday, August 21, 2018

Trad Tuesday: Star o' the Bar sung by Old Blind Dogs


Davie Robertson was born in 1945 and has lived all his life in the village of Longniddry, East Lothian. He has been interested and involved in the folk revival since the mid 1960s and during that decade started composing songs, which he sang in local folk clubs and at other events. He later went on to enter (and win) a number of Scottish songwriting competitions. He wrote Star o' the Bar in the traditional mode.

Old Blind Dogs is a Scottish musical group which plays traditional Scottish folk music and Celtic music, with influences from rock, reggae, jazz, blues, and Middle Eastern music rhythms.

Lyrics:

Oh I'll sing you a stave if you'll gies your attention
It's no song of pity, it's no tale of woe
And no word of honor or love will I mention
But I'll sing of a lassie I kent long ago

Chorus:
No better than most, and no worse as many
And what drew me to her's no' easy to say
She was course, she was heartless, and she wasnae that bonnie
But she was the star o' the bar in her day

I've stravaiged the Royal Mile with her, drinking in style with her
And Rose Street from end to end often surveyed
Fought and swore in the pubs with her, rolled in the dubs with her
Cadged many's a sub from her never repaid

(Chorus)

All you chaps with young lassies, believe me, love soon passes
And all your bright dreams are but straws in the wind
Better one who'll sit down with you, sing a fine tune with you
Pass the glass 'round with you, drink herself blind

(Chorus 2x)

No comments:

Post a Comment