Barbara Keith began her career at the Café Wha? in Greenwich Village, following in the footsteps of Bob Dylan, Jimi Hendrix, Bill Cosby and many others who got their start in that hallowed dive. She was soon recording for MGM/Verve, A&M, and Warner Brothers. Her songs have been covered by such diverse artists as Tanya Tucker, Barbra Streisand, The Dillards, Melanie, Hank Snow, Lowell George and others. “The Bramble and the Rose” has become a folk standard – often receiving the ultimate compliment of being mistaken for a traditional song.
Her husband Doug Tibbles had a whole other life before drumming – A native of Los Angeles, he was a TV writer for such shows as “The Munsters”, “Bewitched”, “Andy Griffith”, “My Three Sons”, “Family Affair”, and many more.
Unhappy with show business in general, Barbara gave back her major label advance, Doug quit his one-day-old job as story editor for “Happy Days”, and they went underground. Doug took up drums and son John took up bass at age eleven. Reclusive by choice, the band moved from L.A. to Western Massachusetts to write and woodshed. They began playing the occasional show while recording in their cellar.
When best selling author Elmore Leonard (“Get Shorty”, “Jackie Brown”, “Out of Sight”) walked in the Troubadour in L.A. one night looking for inspiration for his sequel to “Get Shorty”, he discovered The Stone Coyotes.
They became the model for Chili Palmer’s next adventure, “Be Cool”. Leonard said, “ It was music I could understand…straight ahead rock and roll with a twang. And there are good stories going on in the songs.” He included their lyrics in the book and dedicated it to them. He and the band made a string of appearances together around the country with a Words and Music Tour – from New York’s Mercury Lounge to L.A.’s Viper Room.
More recently with five songs on "Dog the Bounty Hunter", they gained national attention, but it is the grass roots, word-of-mouth response to their music that continues their momentum.
“The Stone Coyotes are a rare wild beast in a domesticated music industry.”
- Rolling Stone Online
“The Stone Coyotes’ hefty sound melds AC/DC’s charging power chords with a country troubadour’s literate observations.”
- New York Magazine
“The Stone Coyotes crank out unpretentious rock that has grime on its fingers and transcendence in its heart.”
- The Nashville Scene
“Poised to be the coolest husband-wife-and-son rock and roll trio ever…Those wary of a hype short on substance should rest assured – this family has the chops to back it up.”
- The L. A. Weekly
“Powerful and gritty, with just a hint of sweetness and sorrow.”
- Real Detroit Weekly
“Likely one of the festival’s best discoveries… The Stone Coyotes rocked and shocked the Horseshoe audience Saturday night with their AC/DC meets Patsy Cline sound.”
- Toronto Now
Highland Boy
The Stone Coyotes Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
From the hills beyond
Where a boy put down his book
And from me now is gone
I am reminded of him here
Where rain on heather falls
The pages scattered on the banks
"Arise, arise, and come away
You are our pride and joy
The drums shall roll and the pipes shall play
For our highland boy"
He sailed on ships and loved a wife
Children played upon his knee
He read the story of his life
That told his destiny
And when in Death's cold eyes he looked
He bravely faced the foe
And through his heart there ran the brook
He followed long ago
And so we laid him to his rest
We laid him gently down
We heard Scotland's bonnie drums
And there was glory in the ground
The field shall be his blanket warm
The stars his diadem
The hills shall stand his honor guard
And the pipes his requiem
The Stone Coyotes's song Highland Boy is a touching and poignant tribute to a man who lived a life of bravery, honor, and adventure. The song's lyrics describe a scene of a brook running through a field where a boy once put down his book and left from the singer's life. The singer is reminded of this boy by the sound of the rain falling on heather, with the pages of his book still scattered on the banks of the brook. The boy heard the call to "arise, arise, and come away," and answered it as a proud highlander.
The song then goes on to describe the man who once was that boy, who sailed on ships, loved a wife, had children, and read the story of his life that told his destiny. When the man faced Death, he did so bravely, and in his final moments, he followed the brook he once ran alongside as a boy. The final verse of the song describes the man's funeral, with the field becoming his blanket, the stars a diadem, and the hills standing as his honor guard. The pipes played his requiem, and there was glory in the ground.
Highland Boy is a beautiful song that highlights the universal themes of life and death, placing them within a uniquely Scottish context. The song tells the story of a man who lived a life of adventure and honor, and who faced Death with courage and grace. The imagery in the song is powerful, with the brook serving as a symbol for the man's journey through life, and the sound of the pipes providing a haunting and poignant soundtrack to his final moments.
Line by Line Meaning
Through a field there ran a brook
In a field, there was a small stream running through it.
From the hills beyond
The stream was coming from the hills in the distance.
Where a boy put down his book
This is where a boy stopped reading and put his book down.
And from me now is gone
Now he is no longer with me.
I am reminded of him here
This place reminds me of him.
Where rain on heather falls
It is a place where rain falls on the heather.
The pages scattered on the banks
His book pages were scattered on the banks of the stream.
Since first he heard the call
Since he first heard the calling.
"Arise, arise, and come away
"Wake up, wake up, and come with us.
You are our pride and joy
You are our pride and joy.
The drums shall roll and the pipes shall play
We will have drums and bagpipes playing.
For our highland boy"
For our highland boy."
He sailed on ships and loved a wife
He went on ships and married a woman whom he loved.
Children played upon his knee
He had children who played on his lap.
He read the story of his life
He read the story of his own life.
That told his destiny
Which told him his future.
And when in Death's cold eyes he looked
And when he faced death.
He bravely faced the foe
He bravely faced his enemy.
And through his heart there ran the brook
The stream ran through his heart.
He followed long ago
The stream that he followed long ago.
And so we laid him to his rest
So we buried him.
We laid him gently down
We put him down slowly.
We heard Scotland's bonnie drums
We heard Scotland's beautiful drums.
And there was glory in the ground
The ground was glorified.
The field shall be his blanket warm
The field is his warm blanket.
The stars his diadem
The stars were his crown.
The hills shall stand his honor guard
The hills are his guard of honor.
And the pipes his requiem
And the bagpipes played his funeral song.
Lyrics © BMG RIGHTS MANAGEMENT US, LLC
Written by: KEITH
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