Redpath was born in Edinburgh, to musical parents. Her mother knew many Scots songs and passed them on to all four of her daughters; her father played the hammer dulcimer. She was raised in Fife, Scotland, and later returned to Edinburgh, taking medieval studies at the university. Hamish Henderson was working in the School of Scottish Studies and Redpath took a keen interest in the archive of tapes and discs of music and songs. To help pay her way through her studies, she worked as a driving instructor and undertaker's assistant. She learned about 400 songs, together with the oral folklore that went with them.
In March 1961, at the age of 24, she went to the United States. Her first performance was in San Francisco. Later she met up with Rambling Jack Elliott and Bob Dylan in Greenwich Village. The natural warmth and power of her voice brought her to perform at Gerde's Folk City. In 1963, following a concert performance, she signed up with Elektra Records. In 1975 she switched to the Philo label. From 1972 to 1976 Jean was artist-in-residence at Wesleyan University in Middletown, Connecticut. She lectured in folklore and gave talks in schools.
In 1976 Redpath was embarked on a project to record all the songs of Robert Burns. Some being folk songs, some Burns' own compositions, and most a mixture of the two. Twenty-two volumes were planned, but when her collaborator, the composer Serge Hovey died after seven volumes, it came to a premature end. Hovey did the instrumental arrangements for 323 songs, and Redpath felt that no other musician could replace him. The albums won critical praise from around the world. In 1986 she recorded "Lady Nairne," a collection of songs written by Scottish women. She has sensitively reconstructed many songs that might otherwise have been lost.
Between 1974 and 1987, Redpath appeared regularly on Garrison Keillor's "Prairie Home Companion" radio show from NPR. She has also appeared on Robert J. Lurtsema's "Morning Pro Musica" from WGBH in Boston.
She has toured throughout the U.S. and to Canada, and played venues in South America, Hong Kong, and Australia, including the Sydney Opera House, and has performed often at the Edinburgh Folk Festival. In 1977, Redpath appeared at a royal banquet at Edinburgh Castle for Queen Elizabeth II, during Royal Jubilee Year. In spite of all her musical success, she has never had formal musical training.
From 1979 Redpath was a lecturer at the University of Stirling, Scotland, occasionally making a sojourn to Wesleyan University. For ten years she gave courses in Scottish Song at the "Heritage of Scotland" Summer School at Stirling University.
She was awarded the MBE, as well as being named a "Kentucky Colonel" by the Governor of Kentucky. A portrait of Redpath by Alexander Fraser hangs in the Scottish National Portrait Gallery in Edinburgh.
In 1996 she launched the Burns International Festival.
In 2009, Redpath made an appearance on the Late Show with David Letterman, singing "Some Kind of Love" by the late John Stewart of the Kingston Trio.
Willie
Jean Redpath Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Oh he held to the fair
An' for to sell his fiddle
An' buy some other ware
But partin' wi' his fiddle
The saut tear blint his eye
And rattlin' roarin' Willie
Ye're welcome hame to me!
O sell your fiddle sae fine
O Willie, come sell your fiddle
And buy a pint o' wine!
If I should sell my fiddle
The warl' would think I was mad
For mony a rantin' day
My fiddle and I ha'e had.
As I cam' by Chrochallan
I cannily keekit ben
Rattlin' roarin' Willie
Was sitting at yon board en'
Sitting at yone board en'
And amang guid companie
Rattlin' roarin' Willie
Ye're welcome hame to me!
The song "Willie" by Jean Redpath is a traditional Scottish folk song that tells the story of Rattlin' Roarin' Willie. Willie is a man who loves to party and play the fiddle. However, he is forced to sell his fiddle to buy other goods. The lyrics express Willie's sadness when he is parted from his fiddle, and the joy he feels when he is reunited with it. The song also features the voice of someone encouraging Willie to sell his fiddle and buy a pint of wine, but Willie refuses because his fiddle is too valuable to him.
The song captures the essence of a nostalgic folk tale in which the singer is faced with the decision to conform to societal expectations or follow his heart. In this case, Willie chooses to keep his fiddle and hold onto his passion for music rather than allow himself to be swayed by others' opinions. In "Willie," we see a man who is defined by his love of music and his refusal to give up that love even when facing hardship.
Line by Line Meaning
O rattlin' roarin' Willie
The song is about a man named Willie who is known for being loud and having a good time.
Oh he held to the fair
Willie went to the fair.
An' for to sell his fiddle
He wanted to sell his fiddle.
An' buy some other ware
He wanted to use the money from selling his fiddle to buy something else.
But partin' wi' his fiddle
However, when he thought about actually selling his fiddle,
The saut tear blint his eye
He became emotional and cried at the thought of it.
And rattlin' roarin' Willie
Despite his reputation as a loud and fun-loving person,
Ye're welcome hame to me!
Willie was still a loyal and welcoming friend.
O Willie, come sell your fiddle
Despite his reservations about selling his fiddle, his friends still urged him to do so.
O sell your fiddle sae fine
They emphasized how nice his fiddle was and how much money he could get for it.
And buy a pint o' wine!
They suggested that he use the money to buy himself some wine.
If I should sell my fiddle
Willie considered the idea of selling his fiddle.
The warl' would think I was mad
But he worried that people would think he was crazy for selling such a beloved possession.
For mony a rantin' day
He had spent many happy and wild days with his fiddle.
My fiddle and I ha'e had.
His fiddle was not just a possession, but a partner in his many adventures.
As I cam' by Chrochallan
As he was walking by Chrochallan,
I cannily keekit ben
He cautiously looked inside.
Rattlin' roarin' Willie
To his delight, he saw his friend Willie.
Was sitting at yon board en'
Willie was sitting at a nearby table with his friends.
And amang guid companie
He was in good company, meaning he was enjoying himself.
Ye're welcome hame to me!
Despite any previous disagreements about selling his fiddle, Willie's friend welcomed him back with open arms.
Lyrics © Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: ROBERT BURNS, SERGE HOVEY
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
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