Cyrus Cassidy #45437 Posted November 14, 2019 Share Posted November 14, 2019 This song is rather famous to Scots, but it has a deep personal meaning to me. You see, my family comes from Loch Lomond. I've been there, and walked the bonnie, bonnie banks with Mrs. Cassidy. It was the honeymoon we never had, and it was after she painfully endured my law enforcement career (which left me with PTSD, but scarred her probably worse). The entire time, it felt like I was finally home. A lot of people are confused by the lyrics. In Scottish mythology, if a Scotsman dies while away from Scotland, their soul is immediately transported back to Scotland via the underworld. Hence, "the low road." The backdrop of this song is that two Scottish soldiers were captured by the English. One was to be executed, the other released to warn others about the pitfalls of fighting against English rule. Hence, one would return to Scotland via the low road, and the other by the high road (i.e. walking, here in the living world). The one who was to die was leaving behind his lover, whom he "would never meet again on the bonnie, bonnie banks of Loch Lomond." It seems like anyone involved in Scottish music does a rendition of this song, but nothing compares to Ella Roberts' version. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gb8AGuD2uOI Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pulp, SASS#28319 Posted November 14, 2019 Share Posted November 14, 2019 She's easy on the eyes for sure. Give this version a listen: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CadH8tnlNps Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marshal Hangtree Posted November 14, 2019 Share Posted November 14, 2019 I used to belong to the Panama City Pipes & Drums, and we played The Bonnie Banks of Loch Lomond both at the halt and on the march. A beautiful 4/4 air. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Charlie Harley, #14153 Posted November 14, 2019 Share Posted November 14, 2019 I’d always wondered about the high/low road reference. Thank you for sharing your insight. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ShadowCatcher Posted November 15, 2019 Share Posted November 15, 2019 Been there a number of times - it's a bonnie loch! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cyrus Cassidy #45437 Posted November 15, 2019 Author Share Posted November 15, 2019 2 hours ago, ShadowCatcher said: Been there a number of times - it's a bonnie loch! Hey pard, have you ever seen the little island just next to Inveruglas? There are castle ruins on the island you can barely see due to the overgrowth. It's a family castle, destroyed by Cromwell in the mid-1600s. Are you one of my clansmen? Loch sloìdh! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marshal Hangtree Posted November 15, 2019 Share Posted November 15, 2019 Clan MacFarlane, Cyrus? I'm clan MacDougall. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cyrus Cassidy #45437 Posted November 15, 2019 Author Share Posted November 15, 2019 Tha, tha MacFarlane agam. We were on the northwest bank of Loch Lomond. Were you southeast? We allied with the MacGregors (northeast) against the Colquhouns (southwest) for about 400 years! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ShadowCatcher Posted November 16, 2019 Share Posted November 16, 2019 22 hours ago, Cyrus Cassidy #45437 said: Hey pard, have you ever seen the little island just next to Inveruglas? There are castle ruins on the island you can barely see due to the overgrowth. It's a family castle, destroyed by Cromwell in the mid-1600s. Are you one of my clansmen? Loch sloìdh! Hi pard, 'fraid not, more a member of the Auld Alliance. Lived on and off in the UK for years, love the ares near Glen Coe and Skye, and have driven and seen a lot of Scotland. Alas, I've not seen this castle ruin, but it's worth looking for the next time. Stay well, Shadow Catcher Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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