Silly Wizard was a folk band, formed in about 1971 in Edinburgh, Scotland b… Read Full Bio ↴Silly Wizard was a folk band, formed in about 1971 in Edinburgh, Scotland by Johnny Cunningham (fiddle, viola, mandola, vocals), Bob Thomas (guitar, mandolin, mandola, banjo, concertina) and Gordon Jones (guitar, bodhran, vocals, bouzouki, mandola). They performed at the Triangle Folk Club for a time, then went on a tour of France in 1972. Soon after, they signed to Transatlantic Records to record an album with Maddy Taylor, who had sung with them on the tour. The album was recorded but has never been released.

The band then added Phil Cunningham (accordion, tin whistle, harmonium, synthesizer, guitar, vocals), Alastair Donaldson, Martin Hadden (bass, guitar, piano) and Andy M. Stewart (vocals, whistle,banjo). Their first LP to be released was Silly Wizard, and they began touring throughout Europe. There were some line-up changes prior to recording their second LP, Caledonia's Hardy Sons (Highway Records).

Silly Wizard played a variety of Scottish folk music, both instrumental and not, from fast jigs and reels to slow airs. While the majority of the music they played were traditional songs, the band did write many of their own. Phil Cunningham wrote generally instrumental music centered on the accordion, and Stewart wrote several songs in a style often distinctly traditional. The group's overall sound changed little until their final album, A Glint of Silver, which introduced the synthesizer as a prominent part of the band, giving them a slightly New Age sound.

They continued recording until the late 1980s, when the band decided to dissolve after performing for seventeen years and releasing nine albums.

Johnny Cunningham passed away on December 15, 2003 in New York.

The Isla Waters
Silly Wizard Lyrics

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I have funds tae buy me whiskey
Monie funds tae call my ain
But if I should get to fu' o' water
Wha's the man that would carry me hame?

CHORUS: And if I be dround in the Isla Waters
Hou the deuce would I win Hame?
If I be drounk in the Isla Waters

My wee doggie would find me in the Isla stream.

Ilka day I cross that water
Aye she's brackent wi' the sea
But if there is o' ale-hous laughter
Daurk an' still she waits on me. CHORUS

Like the fisher's line that's brawken
Leaves the salmon tae the swell
Monie's the nicht ye'll fan' me souken
But ye brak the line yersel. CHORUS

Aa' my days I've lived the quarter
Baud and bonnie fine stuff I've seen

But should I droun in your water
My wee doggie would find me in the Isla Stream. CHORUS

Overall Meaning

The lyrics to Silly Wizard's "The Isla Waters" speak of a person who has enough money to buy themselves whiskey and to call their own, but if they were to become too drunk from water, they wonder who would carry them home. The chorus ponders how they would ever make it home if they drowned in the Isla Waters. Despite the ominous tone of the lyrics, there is a certain sense of comfort that they will be found by their "wee doggie" in the Isla stream, even if they were "souken," or drowned. The verse also describes how the singer crosses the water every day, even though it is often brackish with saltwater from the sea. The singer also notes that the Isla Waters are waiting for them when they seek out the laughter of an alehouse. The last verse speaks of a long and lived life, but that even then, their wee doggie would be the one to find them in the Isla Stream if they were to drown.

The song speaks to the idea of mortality, and the fear of not being able to return home. The chorus is especially poignant because it highlights the unknown consequences of drowning in a body of water, and the fact that the singer may never find their way back home. Additionally, the comfort that they find in their little dog acting as a guardian and protector in the afterlife is a unique perspective on death.

Line by Line Meaning

I have funds tae buy me whiskey
I have enough money to purchase whiskey.

Monie funds tae call my ain
I have plenty of money to call my own.

But if I should get to fu' o' water
But if I should become too full of water from drinking too much.

Wha's the man that would carry me hame?
Who would be the person to carry me home?

CHORUS: And if I be dround in the Isla Waters
Chorus: And if I were to drown in the Isla Waters.

Hou the deuce would I win Hame?
How in the world would I get back home?

If I be drounk in the Isla Waters
If I were to be drunk in the Isla Waters.

My wee doggie would find me in the Isla stream.
My little dog would come find me in the Isla stream.

Ilka day I cross that water
Every day I cross that body of water.

Aye she's brackent wi' the sea
Its color is muddled with that of the sea.

But if there is o' ale-hous laughter
But if there is any laughter from the ale-house.