It is not known where Jeannie Robertson was born but she did live at 90, Hilton Street in Aberdeen, where a plaque now commemorates her. Like many of the Scottish Travellers from Aberdeen, Glasgow and Ayrshire, she went to Blairgowrie to pick raspberries once a year. Hamish Henderson was born in Blairgowrie and tried to track down the best singers there. In 1953 he followed her reputation to her doorstep in Aberdeen. According to legend Jeannie was reluctant to let him in. She challenged him to tell her the opening line of Child ballad no 163, The Battle of Harlaw and he complied. In November of the same year she was staying in the London apartment of Alan Lomax. In preparation for a TV appearance, Jean Ritchie, Margaret Barry and Isla Cameron were also there. They swapped songs with each other, while the tape rolled. Jeannie made the earliest known recording of "The Battle of Harlaw". Another of the songs she sang was Andrew Lammie (Mill o' Tifty's Annie) lasting over 13 minutes. At the end she told Alan Lomax about the parts of the story that she hadn't sang. Many of the 1953 recordings were issued as "The Queen Among the Heather" in 1975. They later reappeared along with other songs on a CD of the same name.
The television program was The Ballad Hunters, directed by David Attenborough, who later became director of BBC2 television. In 1958 Hamish Henderson recorded her in Edinburgh. Those recordings were issued as "Up the Dee and Doon The Don" on the Lismor label. The Traditional Music and Song Association founded the Blairgowrie Festival in 1965, during the fruit picking. The first festival saw Jeannie, plus Jimmy MacBeath and other valuable source singers, who learned folk songs without the influence of radios or books. Her 1968 appearance there was issued as part of an anthology on the Topic label. As well as classic ballads, she sang bawdy songs such as "Never Wed an Old Man". Jeannie was awarded the MBE in 1968 and died on 13th March 1975. Jeannie's most celebrated song is "I'm a man you don't meet every day", otherwise known as "Jock Stewart". It has been recorded by Archie Fisher, The Dubliners, The McCalmans, The Tannahill Weavers and The Pogues. Variants are known from the USA in the 1880s and Australia in the 1850s. It was to the 1990s what "The Wild Rover" was to the 1960s in folk clubs.
Jeannie's daughter Lizzie Higgins issued an album in 1975 - "Up and Awa' wi' the Laverock". Stanley Robertson, a storyteller, ballad singer and piper from Aberdeen is Jeannie's nephew. Carmen Higgins, a fiddler with the Aberdeen folk band "Rock Salt and Nails", is closely related to Jeannie as well. Carmen Higgins has played with Old Blind Dogs, recorded a solo CD, and had appeared on television and radio.
MacCrimmon's Lament
Jeannie Robertson Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
The banshee croons her note of wailing
But my blue e'en wi' sorrow are streaming
For him that will never return - MacCrimmon
No more, no more, no more forever
In war or peace shall return MacCrimmon
No more, no more, no more forever
The breezes on the braes are mournfully moaning
The brook in the hollow is plaintively mourning
But my blue e'en wi' sorrow are streaming
For him that will never return - MacCrimmon
No more, no more, no more forever
In war or peace shall return MacCrimmon
No more, no more, no more forever
Shall love or gold bring back MacCrimmon
The lyrics to Jeannie Robertson's song MacCrimmon's Lament speak of a mournful tale of loss and sorrow. The first verse sets the scene, with mist sailing around the mountain peak of Cuillin and the banshee, a mythical female spirit, crooning her wail of sadness. The singer's eyes stream blue with sorrow for MacCrimmon, who will never return. The next verse repeats the refrain of "No more, no more, no more forever," emphasizing the finality of MacCrimmon's absence. War and peace, as well as love and gold, are also noted as things that cannot bring him back.
The final verse brings the natural world into the mourning, with the breezes and brook mournfully moaning and lamenting along with the singer's blue eyes full of sorrow. The repetition of the chorus drives home the tragedy and loss of MacCrimmon's absence. The song paints a vivid picture of grief and the finality of death, with nature and mythological elements adding to the haunting atmosphere.
Line by Line Meaning
Round Cuillin's peak the mist is sailing
The mist is moving around the peak of the Cuillin mountains
The banshee croons her note of wailing
The banshee is singing a mournful song of grief
But my blue e'en wi' sorrow are streaming
But my eyes are streaming tears of sadness
For him that will never return - MacCrimmon
For MacCrimmon, who will never come back
No more, no more, no more forever
Never again, not now or ever in the future
In war or peace shall return MacCrimmon
MacCrimmon will not return from battle or a period of peace
Shall love or gold bring back MacCrimmon
MacCrimmon will not return for the sake of love or money
The breezes on the braes are mournfully moaning
The winds on the hillsides are making mournful sounds
The brook in the hollow is plaintively mourning
The stream in the valley is also making sorrowful sounds
But my blue e'en wi' sorrow are streaming
But my eyes are still streaming tears of sadness
For him that will never return - MacCrimmon
For MacCrimmon, who will never come back
No more, no more, no more forever
Never again, not now or ever in the future
In war or peace shall return MacCrimmon
MacCrimmon will not return from battle or a period of peace
No more, no more, no more forever
Never again, not now or ever in the future
Shall love or gold bring back MacCrimmon
MacCrimmon will not return for the sake of love or money
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Written by: TRAD
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Jill Rogoff
What a voice! What a voice!
Nick Willey
My God what a voice, sung with heart and soul! Was like you Jeannie!
Margaret Grant
Impressive piece, sung by one of ancient lineage - Jeannie has the true "blas" as one would say in Gaelic. Well could this be also "Lament for Jeannie Robertson", the like of whom we will never see or hear again.
James Mcneil
Well said. A real voice from the past.
Shan Timothy
Amazing. That is a chilling lament.
Miriam Margolyes
This woman was a great artist. Lucky us to be able to hear her.
Miriam Margolyes
This woman was a great artist. Lucky us to be able to hear her.