Son of a Jazz trumpeter Craig was introduced early to Swing music. His uncle played in a Skiffle band, his grandparents had performed in theater and vaudeville on one side and on the other were self taught musicians and folk singers.
In the early days Craig Herbertson played in experimental bands including the Scottish New Wave band 'The Androids' reviewed in NME with air play on BBC Radio 1.
Later he rediscovered his folk roots, playing with a variety of bands including 'The Keltix whose songs were featured on BBC radio and television.
Craig picked up experience busking in Europe and America, from the Paris Metro to Riverboats on the Mississippi, during which time he learned fiddle, mandolin, banjo, penny whistle and piano.
In 2004 he hit number 20 in the BBC Indie charts with 'Hearts of Glory'
In 2011 Craig was awarded second prize in the category “Best Folk Rock Singer” of the 'Deutscher Rock & Pop Preis'.
As well as music he is also a critically acclaimed fantasy and horror author.
East of Aberdeen
Craig Herbertson Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
The cold North Sea
She'll howl and she'll heave
And will not be subdued
So raise up your glass
To those who have seen her
From no friendly shore
But East, East of Aberdeen
Four hundred miles
I travelled to labour
To the Grey Granite City
In the far, far north
I found myself alone
In bars with no women
Just men who have been
East, East of Aberdeen
At the heliport we stewed,
Held by stormy weather
We sweated in our suits
Too tired to do much talking
We smoked and we laughed
But the wind was out there mocking
As we waited for our flight
To East, East of Aberdeen
The first few days
Will never be forgot
Ye work and ye work
And ye never seemed to stop
It'd be a Hell on earth
But the real Hell is the water
That thunders through your dreams
When you're East, East of Aberdeen
As Like a wee toy
The standby boat is bobbing
Their three month trip
Must send their brains to God
They only get them back
When they've drunk themselves sober
And then they'll be broke
And East, East of Aberdeen
The flares o the Innes
Burn like wee candles
In the huge night sky
There is nothing else to see
And if ever you felt
Humbled and Holy
It's alone with these lights
When you're East, East of Aberdeen
Our flare burns like gold,
Gold and restless amber
It lights up the sky
The rigging and the gantry
Then O'er endless skies
The Northern Lights come dancing
There's angels in your dreams
East, east of Aberdeen
Three weeks you're on
And your relief, he bumps you
Dressed in your suit
But no place to go
But back down below
To fourteen hours of grafting
And you curse and you swear
East, East of Aberdeen
And you lie in your bunk
And think of your woman
Is she lying alone?
Or sharing her sorrow
And the wind it sighs
It's the voice of a lover
But a lover who lies
East, East of Aberdeen
And Cold is she
The cold North Sea
She'll howl and she'll heave
And will not be subdued
So raise up your glass
To those who have seen her
From no friendly shore
But East, East of Aberdeen
Craig Herbertson's song "East of Aberdeen" paints a vivid picture of the harsh realities faced by workers in the offshore oil and gas industry, particularly in the North Sea. The song tells the story of the singer's experience working in Aberdeen, "the grey granite city in the far, far north." The first few verses describe the treacherous North Sea, which is "cold" and "will not be subdued." The singer and his colleagues wait for their flights to the rigs, listening to the wind mocking them. The work is grueling, "ye work and ye work and ye never seemed to stop." Workers are isolated from their families, wondering if they are "lying alone" or "sharing their sorrow." The song is ultimately a tribute to those who have worked in this challenging industry, and an acknowledgement of the toll it can take on workers.
Line by Line Meaning
Cold is she
The North Sea is cold and unforgiving
The cold North Sea
Describing the location of the journey
She'll howl and she'll heave
The North Sea can be treacherous with rough waves and strong winds
And will not be subdued
The sea's power is uncontrollable
So raise up your glass
Celebrate the strength and bravery of those who have faced the North Sea
To those who have seen her
Recognize those who have experienced the harshness of the North Sea
From no friendly shore
This journey is not for the faint of heart or weak of spirit
But East, East of Aberdeen
Emphasizing the difficult journey and location of the journey
Four hundred miles
The distance travelled to reach the destination
I travelled to labour
The purpose of the journey was to work
To the Grey Granite City
Referring to Aberdeen, a city with a lot of grey stone buildings
In the far, far north
Describing the northern location of Aberdeen
I found myself alone
Feeling isolated in a foreign place
In bars with no women
Spending time in bars that were male-dominated
Just men who have been
The other people in these bars have experienced the hardships of the journey before
At the heliport we stewed,
Waiting for a flight at the heliport, feeling restless
Held by stormy weather
Not being able to fly due to the bad weather
We sweated in our suits
Wearing uncomfortable suits in the heat
Too tired to do much talking
Feeling too exhausted to carry on conversation
We smoked and we laughed
Trying to keep our spirits up with smoking and laughing
But the wind was out there mocking
The wind made things more dismal and difficult
As we waited for our flight
Feeling impatient as we waited for the flight
The first few days
Describing the initial days of the journey
Will never be forgot
Those days are memorable because of how hard they were
Ye work and ye work
Working without stop
And ye never seemed to stop
The work was relentless and ongoing
It'd be a Hell on earth
Describing the experience as being like Hell
But the real Hell is the water
The sea is the actual challenge
That thunders through your dreams
The sea haunts people's dreams even when they're not working
When you're East, East of Aberdeen
Emphasizing the location of the journey again
As like a wee toy
The stand-by boat is small in comparison to the massive sea
The stand by boat is bobbing
The boat bobs on the waves
Their three month trip
Referring to the long journey the sailors take
Must send their brains to God
The journey can be mentally taxing
They only get them back
Only regain their wits
When they've drunk themselves sober
After processing the journey and its effects with alcohol
And then they'll be broke
They'll likely spend a lot of money on alcohol
The flares o the Innes
Describing the oil rig platform's flares
Burn like wee candles
The flares glimmer like candles
In the huge night sky
The sky is vast and dark
There is nothing else to see
Other than the rig platform and the sea, there is nothing else to look at
And if ever you felt
Describing the feeling of being humbled
Humbled and Holy
Spiritually and emotionally overwhelmed
It's alone with these lights
Being alone with only the lights of the platform
When you're East, East of Aberdeen
Emphasizing the location of the journey again
Our flare burns like gold
Describing the flare on their own platform
Gold and restless amber
Comparing the flare to gold and amber colors
It lights up the sky
The flare is very bright
The rigging and the gantry
The equipment on the platform that's lit up by the flare
Then O'er endless skies
Describing the expansive night sky
The Northern Lights come dancing
Observing the Northern Lights together with their crew mates
There's angels in your dreams
Being awed by the beauty of the night sky even in dreams
Three weeks you're on
Describing the work schedule of the journey
And your relief, he bumps you
Getting past the hard work period and being relieved by the next worker
Dressed in your suit
Wearing the suit with difficulty after so much time at work
But no place to go
Feeling like there's nowhere to go after the work is over
But back down below
Going back to the lower part of the platform to rest until the next shift starts
To fourteen hours of grafting
Preparing oneself for another day of hard work
And you curse and you swear
Feeling angry and frustrated after so much hard work
East, East of Aberdeen
Emphasizing the location of the journey again
And you lie in your bunk
Finally being able to rest but feeling sleepless and restless
And think of your woman
Thinking about the people left behind at home
Is she lying alone?
Wondering if the loved ones are alone
Or sharing her sorrow
Imagining how difficult it must be for the people left behind
And the wind it sighs
Feeling the sighing of the wind on the platform
It's the voice of a lover
Describing the sound of the wind as a voice of a lover
But a lover who lies
The wind is unreliable and deceitful
Cold is she
Emphasizing the cold and difficult nature of the North Sea again
The cold North Sea
Repeating the description of the location in the beginning of the song
She'll howl and she'll heave
Again emphasizing the challenging nature of the sea
And will not be subdued
The North Sea cannot be tamed
So raise up your glass
Commending and saluting the men who have faced the North Sea
To those who have seen her
Honoring those who have experienced the sea's challenges
From no friendly shore
Acknowledging that the journey is difficult and dangerous
But East, East of Aberdeen
Closing with the emphasis on the journey's challenging location
Contributed by London D. Suggest a correction in the comments below.