My father was a massive corries fan and when he died last November because of the lockdown business I live in Canada now and couldn’t get back to Scotland for his funeral, so I asked my cousin to write the last lines of the song “ Johnies guid bent bows been broke” etc and had her put it in his coffin for me.

The Corries are amazing. I love to see the live use of the Combolins. One of the groups that I wish could have lived forever!!

God, this band is wonderful, I can't get tired of it !

im so glad theres still so many corries fans!

Ronny and roy were a staple groing up in 70's.

Such a haunting song. And the combolins only add to that. Absolutely love this instrument.

Wow,, here's one I've missed up to now. Not only great vocal, but absolutely brilliant combolin arrangement and performance. What a gifted musician Roy was.

Cheers from Russia, Celtic Brothers!

And to think that Roy designed and made those Combolins. Fantastic musician. Tremendous feeling in this song.

I LOVE the look on his face as he explains the story.......SO COOL.....

I live in Wales. Been singing this to my 4 year old Izzy since birth. Now she asks me to sing and joins in lol

I love this. It's amazing. The combolins make it, creates the atmosphere. Bring them back!

I love the Corrie's, together & individually.

Such talent, I never tire listening to the Corries

That is the most beautiful variant on a song I know as "Johnny of Braidosly". I used to sing it at The Northern California Renaissance Faire back in the day. I have forgotten most of it. Same tune. The history of forbidding the poor to hunt int the king's forests on pain of death or sending them to Australia as indentured servants is full of these beautiful and poignant tales.

Only heard the Old Blind Dogs version until now. Love both, it's interesting to hear the different approaches.

True songs from the heart ❤️ No words can tell No word’s can tell

I'm not sure how I came to find them on YT but thank the day I discovered the Corries! Beautiful song. + 1 fan. As an English lad born and bred with Scottish and Irish Heritage love this, can appreciate the raw power, feelings conveyed.

Is history and should respect the words of the Corries!

4 years ago I listened to this beautiful ballad and I commented. Now 4 years later, I still find this stunning. I remember Ewan McCall saying that a ballad such as this requires as much from the audience as from the singers. This is a beautiful telling of a very sad tale. People in the 18th century had very little to eat and there are many songs of poachers who were caught and hanged or transported to the Colonies. Hard times.

Absolute favourite song after after our legendary national anthem ❤🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿

What sweet music they make. I will listen to my heart is content. Though I do not think it will ever be satisfied unless I listen every day. Thank you so much for posting this music. Made an awful day so much better than I thought it could be.

I'm 13 I had my dads ipod at 9 and heard this and I'm Scottish and took a great liking to the corries may they rest in peace

The buttons that were upon his sleeve Were o' the gowd sae guid And the twa grey hounds that he lay between Their mouths were dyed wi' blood - wi' blood Their mouths were dyed wi' blood Then up and jumps the first forester He was captain o' them a' Sayin "If that be Jock o' Braidislee Unto him we'll draw - we'll draw Unto him we'll draw"

I can't believe I've found a vid of my fav Corries song! Happy and I'm grinning :)

Thanks for posting this. Always great to see The Corries and even better (and rare) to see them playing The Combolins.

I have never seen those before but those are some incredible instruments, I want one!

Beautiful song, can't understand a word of it but damn it is beautiful.

What a great song. Absolutely love the Corries! No one does this music quite like they do. For a different rendition, try the version by the Old Blind Dogs. Now only if I could find a pretty lass tae enjoy this with me... :)

I saw them five times in glasgow, only once did they sing MY fav Corrie song

Haven't heard this version for about 20 years my nucle and aunt gave me a tape of it.my uncle like me was born in south africa my aunt who he was married to was born in scotland.

I had only known the Old Blind Dogs version of this until now. Very interesting to stumble upon the Corries version. A few extra lines to explain the story in slightly greater detail, too.

amazing song, thanks I'm Dressed In Decay

One of the Best Songs I ever heard

One of the Best Bands o All Times

Hi everyone form Dundee Scotland

I will never go down with out taking some of the English with me !

They are called combolins. Wikipedia has a description -- see Roy Williamson, combolins or Corries. David Sinton, who now owns them, also plays them on a couple of youtube videos.

The tune was used by the Chartists for their anthems as well

The first shot that the foresters fired It hit Johnny on the knee And the second shot that the foresters fired His heart's blood blint his e'e - his e'e His heart's blood blint his e'e Then up jumps Johnny fae oot o' his sleep And an angry man was he Sayin "Ye micht have woken me fae my sleep Ere my heart's blood blint my e'e - my e'e Ere my heart's blood blint my e'e"

excellent story ,i love this song.

pure magical

See also Old Blind Dogs' "Johnny O'Braidislee" and another Corries version on KZfaq.

Brillaint song and excellent music

But Johnny has ta'en his guid bend bow His arrows one by one And he's awa' tae the greenwood gane Tae ding the dun deer doon - doon Tae ding the dun deer doon Noo Johnny shot and the dun deer leapt And he wounded her in the side And there between the water and the woods The grey hounds laid her pride - her pride The grey hounds laid her pride

thanks

Part 7 - final. He's broken four o' that one's ribs His airm and his collar bane And he has set him upon his horse Wi' the tidings sent him hame - hame Wi' the tidings sent him hame But Johnny's guid bend bow is broke His twa grey dugs are slain And his body lies in Monymusk His huntin' days are dane - are dane His huntin' days are dane

They ate so much o' the venison They drank so much o' the blood That Johnny and his twa grey dugs Fell asleep as though were deid - were deid Fell asleep as though were deid Then by there cam' a silly auld man An ill death may he dee For he's awa' tae Esslemont The seven foresters for tae see - tae see The foresters for tae see As I cam' in by Monymusk Doon among yon scruggs Well there I spied the bonniest youth Lyin' sleepin' atween twa dugs - twa dugs Lyin' sleepin' atween twa dugs

Ma favourite corries song.Proper scoats.

THE BEST!

Did anyone see Ronnie sing the flower of Scotland at the France Game ....... MAGNIFICENT he still looks the same hehe

Scotland No 1

Combolines

Ewan MacColl is the gold standard for this

nice song

@Paganwarrior2000 Good for you! No matter who your ancestors were, they deserve to be honoured.

Check out Hamradun's "Snaebjorn" on KZfaq. Did this melody originate in the Faroes or in Scotland? Both are very old ballads.

@231cats It's also Johnnie o' Cocklesmuir, which is probably the original. It started as a Border ballad but got rewritten for a north-eastern setting, hence the references to Monymusk etc. The older, Border-set versions only survive in fragments, so it's usually the later version that gets sung.

Funny, I can't understand each word either and can't find the lyrics on the internet, but it seems to me as if he sings "Herzblatt" a few times. That's a German word for "darling" ;-)

Part 6 Then up jumps Johnny fae oot o' his sleep And an angry man was he Sayin "Ye micht have woken me fae my sleep Ere my heart's blood blint my e'e - my e'e Ere my heart's blood blint my e'e" But he's rested his back against an oak His fit upon a stane And he has fired at the seven o' them He's killed them a' but ane - but ane He's killed them a' but ane

dont let the truth get in the way of a good fable

@Paganwarrior2000 I think that it is the "gold so good"

There's not a whole lot more information except that the text is that printed by Child from the Percy Papers, Miss Fisher's MS, 1780

It's a good example of the controlled aggression that has existed in scottish blood throughout the centuries. A trait which was used heavily in the forming of the British empire(though I hate to say that).

Jock O' Braidislee (Trad) Johnny got up on a May mornin' Called for water to wash his hands Says "Gie loose tae me my twa grey dugs That lie in iron bands - bands That lie in iron bands" Johnny's mother she heard o' this Her hands for dool she wrang Sayin' "Johnny for your venison Tae the greenwood dinnae gang - gang Tae the greenwood dinnae gang"

I want this to be the intro song to my written story

Listen a few times carefully and you will understand the lyrics.

great song. anyone have the chords/guitar tab?

just listen and learn, if you r cool!

according to "Representative English and Scottish Popular Ballads" there are 13 different versions of this, and they all vary widely about the location. It would take a paragraph to list all the titles. The version I have is Johnie Cock. The forsters are in Pickram Side, Johnie wears Lincoln green to blend in and even wears boots of American leather. His bow was bought in London. The iron bands on the dogs refer to game laws, not actual physical bands.

Fuck I'm in a play list of the corries and damn near threw my phone. Across the room wen this song came on for fuck sakes ! Cheeeeers !

Part 2 But Johnny has ta'en his guid bend bow His arrows one by one And he's awa' tae the greenwood gane Tae ding the dun deer doon - doon Tae ding the dun deer doon Noo Johnny shot and the dun deer leapt And he wounded her in the side And there between the water and the woods The grey hounds laid her pride - her pride The grey hounds laid her pride

Jock O' Braidislee [print] (Trad) part 1 Johnny got up on a May mornin' Called for water to wash his hands Says "Gie loose tae me my twa grey dugs That lie in iron bands - bands That lie in iron bands" Johnny's mother she heard o' this Her hands for dool she wrang Sayin' "Johnny for your venison Tae the greenwood dinnae gang - gang Tae the greenwood dinnae gang"

Part 3 They ate so much o' the venison They drank so much o' the blood That Johnny and his twa grey dugs Fell asleep as though were deid - were deid Fell asleep as though were deid Then by there cam' a silly auld man An ill death may he dee For he's awa' tae Esslemont The seven foresters for tae see - tae see The foresters for tae see

Hehehehe. This makes nightmare on elm street sound like andy pandy! Blood and guts tastic!

Am a Twin too dugs an av killed them awe

I'm a big fan of The Corries Can you help me and give me the lyrics of this song ???

when was this recorded? i was part of audience for BBC in '87

Part 5 Then up and jumps the first forester He was captain o' them a' Sayin "If that be Jock o' Braidislee Unto him we'll draw - we'll draw Unto him we'll draw" The first shot that the foresters fired It hit Johnny on the knee And the second shot that the foresters fired His heart's blood blint his e'e - his e'e His heart's blood blint his e'e

Can anyone tell me the name of the Corries song that starts with. The lonely heron stands grey and still the silent guardian of the hill his watch is shared ..... Driving me mad can't remember the title. Saw the Corries dozens of times and loved their folk music. Thanks in advance

I found this in tranquil fury on the tv tropes website.This songs disturbing in a good way,

and apologies to my partner ;-P For me it's the combolins , the tune and the struggle not the nationality :)

"He must have went across the border by accident into England" the song here is set in the north-east of Scotland. Kind of difficult to accidentally cross into England from Monymusk! The idea that everyone could hunt in Scotland is completely wrong anyway.

But he's rested his back against an oak His fit upon a stane And he has fired at the seven o' them He's killed them a' but ane - but ane He's killed them a' but ane He's broken four o' that one's ribs His airm and his collar bane And he has set him upon his horse Wi' the tidings sent him hame - hame Wi' the tidings sent him hame But Johnny's guid bend bow is broke His twa grey dugs are slain And his body lies in Monymusk His huntin' days are dane - are dane His huntin' days are dane

Good auld graham's had to flee to ulster from the borders for poaching

This is a test

Is Jock kind of an ur-Robin Hood?

A quick google search gave nothing to me, other than alternative versions. I would assume that it is a real legend (no reason for Ronnie to lie), but a lot of the Scottish legends are obscure. Another source exists (kinglaoghaireDOTcom/site/lyrics/song_213). It's traditional, so take it with a grain of salt, like all folk stories. Makes for great music, though!

He must have went across the border by accident into England. Because in Scotland was the (Common Land) where every one could hunt deer. Only England had that (Private Hunting Wood) deal where only "One" family could hunt. I think many of the poorer English ran north for a better and more free life!

I have always loved the Corries but did they have to blame the English for all Scotland's woes. Are we really to believe that Scotland had so few competent foresters that English foresters would be imported to Aberdeenshire especially at a date when we were two separate countries? Where in the ballad does it say they were English?

Just realised this ballad is based off the Child Ballad "Johnnie Cock", but with a different ending

Hah sorry i mean Gorgia

Just sat here, the morning after the Last Celebration of the Ancient Tradition of the Marking of the Christian Feast of St. Andrew [FYI yesterday was Monday 30th November 2020 CE] of this Second Decade of the 21st Century, with as a 25 year old Scot (1/8th Irish) of Lowland birth in the Year of Our Lord Twenty Twenty in the Common Era (New Style), in Month Nine of the Great novel Covid-19 Pandemic, and I'm singt oot wi rancour voice an muckle herttribbin' in mon cheest. Monie thanks tae Gafin o' Deadhead Comics, ae Auld Reekie, fir bringing me yonder tae thon recording. Tak richt proper care o' yon kin ae here hae bonnie cawin seen and reed wat wir scribbt it aesel! Warmth hearths, safe companies and long life tae yehs. *¡socially distanced and appropriately PPE-equipped hugs for you all from this bi Scottish Unicorn!* 🎶🌈🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿💖🤗🤘🦄🤘🤗💖🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿 🌈🎶 Haste ye back tae noo an this here scribbter thread.

Gid tune. Except they widnae've been English Foresters in the North East, Gordons or Grahams, pure Scots!

Part 4 As I cam' in by Monymusk Doon among yon scruggs Well there I spied the bonniest youth Lyin' sleepin' atween twa dugs - twa dugs Lyin' sleepin' atween twa dugs The buttons that were upon his sleeve Were o' the gowd sae guid And the twa grey hounds that he lay between Their mouths were dyed wi' blood - wi' blood Their mouths were dyed wi' blood

Pirates and thieves should be hung up !

should'nt have been bloody poaching should he then!!

They’re even worse than I remember.

I'm a big fan of The Corries Can you help me and give me the lyrics of this song ???