#00852
Mingulay Boat Song (Ryan's Fancy) MIDIs, tabs, videos
#41: YouTube video by kelticknots
©2007 ~ Used with permission ~

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Heel ya ho, boys, let 'er go, boys,
Keep her head 'round and all together;
Heel ya ho, boys, let her go, boys,
Sailing homeward to Mingulay.

What care we how white the Minch is,
What care we, boys, for snow and weather?
Bring her 'round, boys, for every inch is,
Weaving homeward to Mingulay.

Heel ya ho, boys, let 'er go, boys,
Keep her head 'round and all together;
Heel ya ho, boys, let her go, boys,
Sailing homeward to Mingulay.

Far behind us, hills of Quinlon,
Soon before us, the hills of heather;
And you know, boys, the candles glow, boys,
In the windows of Mingulay.

Heel ya ho, boys, let 'er go, boys,
Keep her head 'round and all together;
Heel ya ho, boys, let her go, boys,
Sailing homeward to Mingulay.

Wives are waiting on the bank, or,
Looking seaward from the heather;
Bring her 'round, boys, and then we'll anchor,
Ere the sun sets on Mingulay.

Heel ya ho, boys, let 'er go, boys,
Keep her head 'round and all together;
Heel ya ho, boys, let her go, boys,
Sailing homeward to Mingulay.

Heel ya ho, boys, let 'er go, boys,
Keep her head 'round and all together;
Heel ya ho, boys, let her go, boys,
Sailing homeward to Mingulay.

####.... Compilation of a Scottish rowing shanty written in 1938 by Glasgow-born conductor and composer, Sir Hugh Roberton [1874-1952] for his Glasgow Orpheus Choir ....####
Paraphrased from The Road To Mingulay: A View Of The Western Isles", London, 1985.

Neither the words nor the melody originate anywhere near Mingulay; it is a romantic invention of the 20th-century devised in 1938 by Glasgow-born Sir Hugh Roberton who was very fond of the melody of 'Creag Ghuanach', a song from Lochaber, which celebrates a crag near Loch Treig. He needed a sea shanty and so he adapted the music, chose the romantic name Mingulay, and composed the words.

Variants of this song have been recorded by many artists, including Ryan's Fancy, Tommy Makem, Liam Clancy, the Francis McPeake family of Ulster, The Corries, and Schooner Fare. A variant was also featured in the 2006 movie Diggers with an arrangement by Dan Zanes of Exeter, NH (Sea Music, trk#11, 2002, Festival Five Records, Brooklyn, NY).

The video above features a recording of this haunting song from Ryan's Fancy's first album, a re-release of the album Sullivan's Gypsies (Ryan's Fancy Sung By Sullivan's Gypsies, trk#10, 1970, Harmony/Columbia Records, Toronto, ON).

See more songs by Ryan's Fancy.

Notes:
¹ Mingulay is the second southernmost island in the Hebrides chain which is west of Scotland. At the beginning of the 20th century the barren island was home to about 160 people, but is uninhabited today. According to the Gazetteer Of Scotland, this haunting song was never sung by the island's inhabitants.
² The Minch is a body of water separating north-west mainland Scotland from the Isle of Lewis (the northern Outer Hebrides). The Lower Minch is to the south and separates the Isle of Skye from the lower Outer Hebrides. The Minch, also called The North Minch, ranges from 20 to 45 miles wide and is approximately 70 miles long. The Lower Minch is about 15 miles wide.
~ From: wikipedia.org.

The video below features a recording by Masterless Men as track #10 on their 1993 Ode To Age album.

See more songs by The Masterless Men.

#2283: YouTube video by TheNewfoundlandMusic
©2016 ~ Used with permission ~

The video below features an excellent guitar performance of a variant by Sean Kenny of Port au Port East, NL.

See more songs by Sean Kenny.

#1766: YouTube video by drivermciver
©2007 ~ Used with permission ~

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Notes On Tabs:
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All tabs have been contributed by visitors to this site and represent their interpretation of the tune. We are unable to verify their accuracy.

Chord Shape: [G]= 3,2,0,0,3,3

Intro: [G]

Chorus:
[G] Heel ya ho, boys, [D] let 'er [G] go, boys,
Keep her [D] head 'round and [G] all to- [C] gether;
Heel ya [G] ho, boys, [D] let her [G] go, boys,
Sailing [D] homeward [G] to [C] Mingu- [G] lay.

[G] What care we how [D] white the [G] Minch is,
What care [D] we boys for [G] snow and [C] weather?
Bring her [G] 'round, boys, for [D] every [G] inch
Is weaving [D] homeward [G] to [C] Mingu- [G] lay.

Chorus:
[G] Heel ya ho, boys, [D] let 'er [G] go, boys,
Keep her [D] head 'round and [G] all to- [C] gether;
Heel ya [G] ho, boys, [D] let her [G] go, boys,
Sailing [D] homeward [G] to [C] Mingu- [G] lay.

[G] Far behind us, [D] hills of [G] Quinlon,
Soon be- [D] fore us, the [G] hills of [C] heather;
And you [G] know, boys, the [D] candles [G] glow, boys,
In the [D] windows [G] of [C] Mingu- [G] lay.

Chorus:
[G] Heel ya ho, boys, [D] let 'er [G] go, boys,
Keep her [D] head 'round and [G] all to- [C] gether;
Heel ya [G] ho, boys, [D] let her [G] go, boys,
Sailing [D] homeward [G] to [C] Mingu- [G] lay.

[G] Wives are waiting [D] on the [G] bank, or,
Looking [D] seaward [G] from the [C] heather;
Bring her [G] 'round, boys, and [D] then we'll [G] anchor,
Ere the [D] sun sets [G] on [C] Mingu- [G] lay.

Chorus:
[G] Heel ya ho, boys, [D] let 'er [G] go, boys,
Keep her [D] head 'round and [G] all to- [C] gether;
Heel ya [G] ho, boys, [D] let her [G] go, boys,
Sailing [D] homeward [G] to [C] Mingu- [G] lay.

Chorus:
[G] Heel ya ho, boys, [D] let 'er [G] go, boys,
Keep her [D] head 'round and [G] all to- [C] gether;
Heel ya [G] ho, boys, [D] let her [G] go, boys,
Sailing [D] homeward [G] to [C] Mingu- [G] lay.

~ Chords contributed by Bob Dumais ~


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