An Tuagh - My Heart’s in the Highlands (feat. Chris Corrigan)
“My Heart’s in the Highlands“ is poem by Robert Burns, written in 1789. This musical composition was written on the Kravik Lyre by Jamie Keddie (An Tuagh) as an accompaniment for the poem and performed alongside Chris Corrigan (Guitar).
Although I have played this for live audiences several times now, I intended on saving this track for an upcoming album. It was originally written and performed for a Burn’s Evening show as homage to a week long martial training experience in the Scottish Highlands that I had alongside Scottish swordmaker Paul Macdonald and a select few others, in 2019. However, having just returned home from yet another a week of similar martial training over bog and heather-top, I felt this the appropriate time to share it. I know others from the recent trip are resonating very much with this song and sentiment too.
Lyrics (Scots):
My heart’s in the Highlands, my heart is not here,
My heart’s in the Highlands, a-chasing the deer;
Chasing the wild-deer, and following the roe,
My heart’s in the Highlands, wherever I go.
Farewell to the Highlands, farewell to the North,
The birth-place of Valour, the country of Worth;
Wherever I wander, wherever I rove,
The hills of the Highlands forever I’ll love.
Farewell to the mountains, high-cover’d with snow,
Farewell to the straths and green valleys below;
Farewell to the forests and wild-hanging woods,
Farewell to the torrents and loud-pouring floods.
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Artwork by Jamie Keddie.
Photography by Andrew Rae Photographer
All original Vocals, Kravik Lyre and Bass Strings by Jamie Keddie.
Guitar by Chris Corrigan.
Copyright Jamie Keddie (2023)