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.
The Light Dragoon
Malinky Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
When the moon was shining clearly
There was a little lady and she knew him by his horse
Because she loved him dearly, dearly, so dearly
There was a little lady and she knew him by his horse
Because she loved him dearly
She's taken him by the nearside rein
"Here's corn and hay for your horse, young man
He can eat while he is able, able, so able
Here's corn and hay for your horse, young man
He can eat while he is able"
She's taken him by the lily-white hand
Led him to the table
"It's cakes and wine for you, my dear
You can drink while you are able, able, so able
It's cakes and wine for you, my dear
You can drink while you are able"
She's gone upstairs to make his bed
Make it soft and comfy
So nimble she's jumped into the bed
To see if it was easy, easy, so easy
So nimble she's jumped into the bed
To see if it was easy
The light dragoon has come upstairs
And put his trousers on the table
So nimble he's jumped into the bed
To do what he was able, able, so able
So nimble he's jumped into the bed
To do what he was able
They've played upstairs 'til the clock struck one
And the trumpets, they were sounding
Her spirits, they were high and her belly, it was low
An' she run home to her mammy, mammy, her mammy
Her spirits, they were high and her belly, it was low
An' she run home to her mammy
"Oh where have you been all the livelong night?"
Enquired her anxious parents
"I've been alone with the light dragoon
Because I love him dearly, dearly, so dearly
I've been alone with the light dragoon
Because I love him dearly"
A light dragoon came over the hill
When the moon was shining clearly
There was a little lady and she knew him by his horse
Because she loved him dearly, dearly, so dearly
There was a little lady and she knew him by his horse
Because she loved him dearly
The Light Dragoon is a traditional Scottish folk song that tells a story of a young woman who meets a light dragoon (a type of cavalry soldier who was lightly armed and used for scouting) and falls in love with him. The song starts with the light dragoon coming over the hill and the woman recognizing him by his horse, which shows how familiar the woman is with him. She takes him to the stable and feeds his horse, and then takes him to the table where she offers him cakes and wine. The woman then goes upstairs to make his bed.
The light dragoon follows her upstairs and puts his trousers on the table before jumping into bed with her, which implies that they have sex. The song concludes with the young woman returning home, where her parents inquire about her whereabouts. She confesses that she has been alone with the light dragoon because she loves him. The song's melody is joyful, but its lyrics are melancholic and reflect the woman's longing for love.
Overall, The Light Dragoon is a traditional folk song that tells a romantic love story but also reflects the social and cultural norms of the time. It shows how romantic love could overcome social boundaries in a time of strict societal rules.
Line by Line Meaning
A light dragoon came over the hill
A man on horseback emerged from the hill
When the moon was shining clearly
It was nighttime and the moon was bright
There was a little lady and she knew him by his horse
A woman recognized the man by his horse and knew it was someone she loved
Because she loved him dearly, dearly, so dearly
The woman loved the man very much
She's taken him by the nearside rein
The woman led the man's horse
Led him to the stable
She guided him to the place where the horse could rest
"Here's corn and hay for your horse, young man
She gave him some food for the horse
He can eat while he is able, able, so able
The horse can eat as much as it wants
She's taken him by the lily-white hand
The woman took the man's hand
Led him to the table
She brought him to the place where food was served
"It's cakes and wine for you, my dear
She offered him some food and drink
You can drink while you are able, able, so able
He can drink as much as he wants
She's gone upstairs to make his bed
The woman went upstairs to prepare the bed for the man
Make it soft and comfy
She made the bed comfortable for him
So nimble she's jumped into the bed
The woman jumped on the bed to test its comfort
To see if it was easy, easy, so easy
She wanted to make sure the bed was easy to sleep in
The light dragoon has come upstairs
The man came upstairs
And put his trousers on the table
He placed his pants on the table
So nimble he's jumped into the bed
The man jumped onto the bed
To do what he was able, able, so able
He did what he could in the bed
They've played upstairs 'til the clock struck one
They spent time together until one o'clock
And the trumpets, they were sounding
There was a sound of trumpets
Her spirits, they were high and her belly, it was low
The woman was happy, but also hungry
An' she run home to her mammy, mammy, her mammy
She ran home to her mother
"Oh where have you been all the livelong night?"
Her parents asked where she was all night
Enquired her anxious parents
Her parents were worried
"I've been alone with the light dragoon
The woman told her parents she was with the man she loved
Because I love him dearly, dearly, so dearly
She loves him very much
Contributed by Jacob T. Suggest a correction in the comments below.