Formed i… Read Full Bio ↴Malinky is a Scottish folk band specialising in Scots song.
Formed in autumn 1998, the original members were Karine Polwart from Banknock, Stirlingshire (vocals, guitar, bouzouki), Steve Byrne from Arbroath (vocals, guitar, bouzouki, mandolin), Mark Dunlop from Garryduff, Co. Antrim (bodhrán, whistles, vocals) and English fiddler Kit Patterson.
First meeting to rehearse in early October that year, the band was largely formed to help Polwart fulfil a support slot at Edinburgh Folk Club some ten days later, supporting harpist and storyteller Robin Williamson, formerly of the Incredible String Band. The members had previously encountered each other around the lively pub session scene in Edinburgh in venues such as Sandy Bell's and the Royal Oak bars. Polwart was a social worker, Byrne a student of Scottish Studies, Dunlop a town planner with the city council, and Patterson a computer programmer from Plymouth.
The band's first album 'Last Leaves' was recorded in 1999 and released at Celtic Connections 2000, with the late Davy Steele as producer. In early 2001, Edinburgh-born Jon Bews, formerly of Burach, replaced Patterson on fiddle, and later that year Tyrone button box and whistle player Leo McCann was asked to join to expand the band's largely string-driven sound.
In September 2004 the band announced a major change of personnel. Polwart left to pursue a solo career and McCann's imminent fatherhood prompted him to return to his previous career in social work. Polwart and McCann worked their notice until February 2005, coincidentally the same month as Polwart swept the boards at the Radio 2 Folk Awards, catapulting her re-released 2003 solo album 'Faultlines' to greater heights.
Byrne, Dunlop and Bews continued the band with new members Fiona Hunter from Glasgow (vocals, cello) and Liverpool-born Ewan MacPherson (guitar, mandolin, mandola, tenor banjo, jew's harp, vocals), and a series of crossover concerts in January and February 2005 took place, featuring both old and new lineups, including a sellout show at Celtic Connections in Glasgow.
In June 2005 the band recorded their third album 'The Unseen Hours' at Watercolour Studios in Ardgour, Lochaber in the Scottish Highlands, and the album was released in November 2005, surprising many critics with its continuity from the band's previous work, and earning rave reviews with its strong commitment to traditional Scots ballads.
The Unseen Hours lineup toured Germany and the Netherlands in 2006 to great acclaim and in 2007 performed with Swedish ballad band Ranarim at the Celtic Connections festival as well as making their first sojourn to the USA and Canada.
In December 2007 MacPherson left the band to pursue other projects to be replaced by guitar and bouzouki player David Wood from Grindleford in Derbyshire, formerly of CrossCurrent.
Fiddler Mike Vass joined the band in 2008, previously best known for performing in a duo with his sister Ali Vass.
Clerk Saunders
Malinky Lyrics
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Were walking on yon gravelled green
Sad and heavy was the love
I wot it fell this twa between
"A bed, a bed," Clerk Saunders said
"A bed, a bed for you and me"
"Oh no, oh no," the lady cried
For in will come my seven brithers
And a' their torches burnin' bright
They'll say we hae but yin sister
And here she's lying wi' you this night"
"You'll tak the sword frae my scabbard
And loowly, loowly lift the gin
And ye maun swear a solemn oath
Ye'll never let Clerk Saunders in"
"You'll tak me in your airms twa
And carry me ben untae yer bed
And ye maun swear a solemn oath
Across your bower I ne'er did tread"
They werenae lang untae the room
They werenae lang untae the bed
When in there cam her seven brithers
And a' their torches were burnin' red
Oot then spak the first brither
"It's lang since ere this love began"
Oot then spak the second brither
"It's a sin tae kill a sleepin' man"
Oot then spak the third brither
"We'd better gang and let them be"
Oot then spak the neist o' them
"You'll no be killed this nicht for me"
Oot then spak the fifth brither
Aye and an' angry man was he
"I bear the sword in my right hand
That will gar Clerk Saunders dee"
He's taen oot his lang, lang sword
That he had strappit through the strae
And through and through Clerk Saunders' body
I wot he has garred iron gae
"Awake, awake, Clerk Saunders," she says
"Awake, awake for sin and shame
For the day is light, the sun shines bright
And I'm afraid we will be taen"
Aye she waukened this dead man
Aye she rocked him to and fro
Aye she waukened this dead man
But of his death she did not know
"I'll do as much for ye, Clerk Saunders
Whatever ladies wouldnae thole
'Til seven years has passed and gane
There's nae a shoe gaes on my sole
There'll ne'er be a sark upon by back
There'll ne'er be a kaim-straik through my hair
There'll ne'er be coal or candle light
Shine in my bower nae mare"
The lyrics to "Clerk Saunders" are a tragic tale of a forbidden love that ends in murder. Clerk Saunders and May Margaret are walking together, burdened by the weight of their love for each other. Clerk Saunders suggests they find a bed to share, but May Margaret resists. She fears her seven brothers will discover them and think she's been unfaithful before their marriage. Clerk Saunders proposes a plan he believes will keep them safe. May Margaret should swear never to let him into her room, and he will swear he never entered it. May Margaret will carry Clerk Saunders to bed and carry him out in the morning, and they will wait until they are married to share a bed fully.
Unfortunately, May Margaret's seven brothers discover them in the act, and a gruesome scene unfolds. The brothers argue over whether to kill Clerk Saunders or not. The first three brothers suggest leaving them alone for the night, but the fifth brother insists on killing Clerk Saunders. He stabs him repeatedly until he dies. May Margaret tries to awaken him, but it's too late. She promises never to forget him and to live a life of mourning in his memory.
Line by Line Meaning
Clerk Saunders and May Margaret
Were walking on yon gravelled green
Sad and heavy was the love
I wot it fell this twa between
Clerk Saunders and May Margaret, who were in love, were walking on the gravelled green. Their love was filled with sadness and heaviness, and nobody else could understand the depth of feelings between them.
"A bed, a bed," Clerk Saunders said
"A bed, a bed for you and me"
"Oh no, oh no," the lady cried
"Until the day we mairrit be
Clerk Saunders asked for a bed for both of them, but May Margaret hesitated, saying they shouldn't share a bed until they were married.
For in will come my seven brithers
And a' their torches burnin' bright
They'll say we hae but yin sister
And here she's lying wi' you this night"
May Margaret was worried that her seven brothers would come and find them in bed together, who might assume that she wasn't chaste.
"You'll tak the sword frae my scabbard
And loowly, loowly lift the gin
And ye maun swear a solemn oath
Ye'll never let Clerk Saunders in"
May Margaret instructed Clerk Saunders to take her sword and gently lift the door latch. She made him swear that he wouldn't let him into the room.
"You'll tak me in your airms twa
And carry me ben untae yer bed
And ye maun swear a solemn oath
Across your bower I ne'er did tread"
May Margaret then asked Clerk Saunders to carry her to the bed, making him swear that he didn't enter the bower before this night.
They werenae lang untae the room
They werenae lang untae the bed
When in there cam her seven brithers
And a' their torches were burnin' red
They didn't take long to reach the room and bed while May Margaret's seven brothers, with torches burning bright, arrived soon after.
Oot then spak the first brither
"It's lang since ere this love began"
Oot then spak the second brither
"It's a sin tae kill a sleepin' man"
One of the brothers said that this love was going on for a long time. Another one said that it's sinful to kill someone who's sleeping.
Oot then spak the third brither
"We'd better gang and let them be"
Oot then spak the neist o' them
"You'll no be killed this nicht for me"
Third brother suggested leaving them alone, while another one declared that they won't kill Clerk Saunders for his sake.
Oot then spak the fifth brither
Aye and an' angry man was he
"I bear the sword in my right hand
That will gar Clerk Saunders dee"
The fifth brother, who was angry, said that he had the sword in his hand, and he would use it to kill Clerk Saunders.
He's taen oot his lang, lang sword
That he had strappit through the strae
And through and through Clerk Saunders' body
I wot he has garred iron gae
The fifth brother promptly drew out his long sword, stabbing Clerk Saunders' body until he drew his last breath.
"Awake, awake, Clerk Saunders," she says
"Awake, awake for sin and shame
For the day is light, the sun shines bright
And I'm afraid we will be taen"
May Margaret tried to wake up Clerk Saunders, realizing that the sun was up, and she was afraid of being caught in the tragic events.
Aye she waukened this dead man
Aye she rocked him to and fro
Aye she waukened this dead man
But of his death she did not know
May Margaret tried to revive the dead Clerk Saunders, not aware that he was already dead.
"I'll do as much for ye, Clerk Saunders
Whatever ladies wouldnae thole
'Til seven years has passed and gane
There's nae a shoe gaes on my sole
There'll ne'er be a sark upon by back
There'll ne'er be a kaim-straik through my hair
There'll ne'er be coal or candle light
Shine in my bower nae mare"
May Margaret promised to do anything that ladies don't effectuate for him. She also promised not to possess any garments, shoes, or comb, for the next seven years. She also said that there would be no light in her bower anymore and vowed never to forget Clerk Saunders.
Contributed by Samantha Y. Suggest a correction in the comments below.