Òran Gàidhlig (Gaelic Song)
Calum Crùbach (Lame Malcolm)
Click title (above) to hear entire song, or click below to listen to verses and choruses indivudally. Each verse and chorus is sung twice before moving on.
| Rann: | Verse: |
| Calum Crùbach ás a’ ghleann Cum thall na caoraich uile Calum Crùbach ás a’ ghleann Cum thall na caoraich |
Lame Malcolm from the valley Keep all the sheep over there; Lame Malcolm from the valley, Keep the sheep over there. |
| Séisd: | Chorus: |
| Cum thall; na toir a nall Cum thall na caoraich uile Cum thall; na toir a nall Cum thall na caoraich |
Keep over there; don’t take over here, Keep all the sheep over there; Keep over there; don’t take over here, Keep the sheep over there. |
| Rann: | Verse: |
| Calum Crùbach anns a’ ghleann Cuir a nall na caoraich thugam Ged a tha thu crubach cam Chi thu leis an t-sùil a th’ ann |
Lame Malcolm in the valley, Bring the sheep over here to me; Although you are Lame (and) bent You will see with the eye that you have. |
| Séisd: |
Chorus: |
| Cum thall; na toir a nall Cum thall na caoraich uile Cum thall; na toir a nall Cum thall na caoraich |
Keep over there; don’t take over here, Keep all the sheep over there; Keep over there; don’t take over here, Keep the sheep over there. |
Notes on the Song
Crùbach -- lame, stooped
Ás a’ ghleann -- from the valley; gleann = valley
Cum -- This is the command form and the root form of the verb, “keep” -- a’ cumail = keeping
Thall -- over there, on the other side, yonder
Caoraich -- sheep (plural) Caora f) -- sheep (singular)
Na toir -- In this instance, na toir means, “don’t take” As will be seen in later lessons, the verb thoir (take) can also mean “give”.
A nall -- over here, towards us, from the other side, hither
Anns a’ ghleann -- in the valley
Cuir -- put
Thugam -- towards me --" Thugam is a prepositional pronoun which combines the English words “towards” and “me” in one word.
Ged -- although
Cam -- literally “bent, crooked, distorted, curved”
Chi -- will see ----- This is the future tense of the irregular verb “faic”
Leis -- with
An t-sùil -- the eye
An t-sùil a th’ ann -- “the eye that is in existence” -- apparently Malcolm was missing an eye.
Additional Notes:
The song “Calum Crùbach” belongs to the category of Gaelic songs known as “puirt a beul” (“music from the mouth” or “mouth music” as it is known in English). Puirt a beul songs are fiddle tunes to which lyrics have been composed for the purpose of singing them. (some say that the songs were originally sung, then changed to fiddle tunes . . . and the debate goes on . . .) As such, the important thing in puirt a beul is for the tempo of the song to be maintained, just as it would be if the song were played on an instrument.
The vast majority of puirt a beul songs are composed to the tempo of a jig, strathspey or a reel. Some singers make the mistake of trying to sing the songs as fast as they can, as if that is the form expected of them. Some sing them too slowly, perhaps trying to bring out the nuances of the melody better.
While these variations might have their place, the original intent was for the songs to be sung to jig or reel time, thus allowing step-dancers to dance to them. The challenge of these songs, and what is traditionally expected, is for the singer to maintain a constant tempo throughout the song so that the dancer’s steps and the singers voice remain perfectly in tune.
Calum Crùbach is sung in strathspey time (to the rhythm of a strathspey).
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