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This is the only song I've ever written that is totally factual.
If you dont want to read my life story - scroll down (:
Emotions aside,I left university and was living with a girlfriend.I loved her very much,but things werent giong too well and I was a young man - 22 years old and I decided to move to Scotland for an adventure.I joined a course run by the Scottish Wildlife Trust.I got some accomodation via the Gazette being sent down to me in advance.I rang an advert for cheap accomodation and the man at the end of the phone sounded very posh english and told me 'well its cheap acccomodation - but its a halfway house'.I'd been in pubs called 'halfway house' and I was very naive - I accepted and left Brighton with a very open mind - my spirit was full of longing for adventure.No kidding though it was tough.I had a lump in my throat that I went to the doctors about - he told me it was phsycosematical - a pyhsological affect of splitting up with my girlfriend.Basicaly - I couldn't swallow - a true lump in the throat - an emotional condition that actually made me quite mad for a while cos I couldnt shake it off.I didn't know what a halfway house is - I lived in scotland for a year thinking - 'they are all f****ng mad.Then I found out - most people had come out of REHAB.If anyone is interested it was a house,next to the inverness Islands - beautiful setting,right next to the river,10 minutes cycle from Loch Ness.The house itself was once rather grand - when I turned up late at night for an interview to live there but - with I might add - my deposit/rent in hand - it seemed great - the lounge had stags antlers,dark leather couches and stained glass windows - then he showed me into the tenants quarter - there were over 80 rooms.Big house! - Bad wallpaper,blood stains.After 2 weeks I realised my neighbour had a problem - she had a repetitive disorder - she never believed she was secure and would lock and unlock her door over 30 times before going to work in the morning.Sometimes she'd catch me going out and I would turn her key once for her to see and it was ALWAYS locked - so I told her 'dont worry - it's locked'.It was.Sometimes she ended up crying.I tried to help - I was still naive - still am,but sometimes I would just flop and say ' thats all I can do '.Anyway - I started the scottish wildlife course.It was great - I mean - GREAT.We did loads of stuff in wildlife spots - lochs,woodlands,estates,bridges,guided walks,whale watch,saving black throated divers.So after half a year came the outward bound trip from the Scottish Wildlife Trust.We went to a certain Island off the West Coast begginning with H.The warning was that we had to have enough food for 3/4 days then the boat would come from the mainland.Pete M was in charge - a very english guy with alot of scottish 'aughs' in his sentences - we loved him - showed us the ropes.The first night they made the mistake of camping out in the fields with me.I'd bought a bottle of vodka - and i was drinking it.The island air got to me and I started singing folk tunes.The second night,they all slept in with the boys in the bothy.The 3rd night I felt sympathy with a teenage lad on the course who loved his smoke and had run out and was bored.I'm very sorry Pete - but we broke the rules.Chris was smoking the last half of his joint and I said to him 'HEY - big man - you bored? - just take a step over there towards the Arctic Skua Nests - he was bored so did.Several black shadows sailed up from their nests.Next thing I saw - Chris was on his back being dive bombed by world war 2 style Skuas - .After that we tried smoking KELP - drieing it out in the calor gas oven - not a hope it burnt your throat to shreds.On the last few days madness ensued - OK Team - were going to build a mermaid sculpture on the beach.We all got into it - lord of the flies style.RIGHT - You and Ian gather some seaweeed for the pubic hair.Ben - Rich - you plough on with making the breasts out of sand.Ian (one eyed mountain born and bred) - beat and holds as far as I know the record for carrying 80 yes - 80 woooden slats on an iron frame backpack across the island.Altogether - the best journey of my life.Hope the current team has made it round the island by now,and hope someone saw the legendary 'purple ringed plover'
The photo is of one of the cliffs on the island - home to kittiwakes and puffins.
If you dont want to read my life story - scroll down (:
Emotions aside,I left university and was living with a girlfriend.I loved her very much,but things werent giong too well and I was a young man - 22 years old and I decided to move to Scotland for an adventure.I joined a course run by the Scottish Wildlife Trust.I got some accomodation via the Gazette being sent down to me in advance.I rang an advert for cheap accomodation and the man at the end of the phone sounded very posh english and told me 'well its cheap acccomodation - but its a halfway house'.I'd been in pubs called 'halfway house' and I was very naive - I accepted and left Brighton with a very open mind - my spirit was full of longing for adventure.No kidding though it was tough.I had a lump in my throat that I went to the doctors about - he told me it was phsycosematical - a pyhsological affect of splitting up with my girlfriend.Basicaly - I couldn't swallow - a true lump in the throat - an emotional condition that actually made me quite mad for a while cos I couldnt shake it off.I didn't know what a halfway house is - I lived in scotland for a year thinking - 'they are all f****ng mad.Then I found out - most people had come out of REHAB.If anyone is interested it was a house,next to the inverness Islands - beautiful setting,right next to the river,10 minutes cycle from Loch Ness.The house itself was once rather grand - when I turned up late at night for an interview to live there but - with I might add - my deposit/rent in hand - it seemed great - the lounge had stags antlers,dark leather couches and stained glass windows - then he showed me into the tenants quarter - there were over 80 rooms.Big house! - Bad wallpaper,blood stains.After 2 weeks I realised my neighbour had a problem - she had a repetitive disorder - she never believed she was secure and would lock and unlock her door over 30 times before going to work in the morning.Sometimes she'd catch me going out and I would turn her key once for her to see and it was ALWAYS locked - so I told her 'dont worry - it's locked'.It was.Sometimes she ended up crying.I tried to help - I was still naive - still am,but sometimes I would just flop and say ' thats all I can do '.Anyway - I started the scottish wildlife course.It was great - I mean - GREAT.We did loads of stuff in wildlife spots - lochs,woodlands,estates,bridges,guided walks,whale watch,saving black throated divers.So after half a year came the outward bound trip from the Scottish Wildlife Trust.We went to a certain Island off the West Coast begginning with H.The warning was that we had to have enough food for 3/4 days then the boat would come from the mainland.Pete M was in charge - a very english guy with alot of scottish 'aughs' in his sentences - we loved him - showed us the ropes.The first night they made the mistake of camping out in the fields with me.I'd bought a bottle of vodka - and i was drinking it.The island air got to me and I started singing folk tunes.The second night,they all slept in with the boys in the bothy.The 3rd night I felt sympathy with a teenage lad on the course who loved his smoke and had run out and was bored.I'm very sorry Pete - but we broke the rules.Chris was smoking the last half of his joint and I said to him 'HEY - big man - you bored? - just take a step over there towards the Arctic Skua Nests - he was bored so did.Several black shadows sailed up from their nests.Next thing I saw - Chris was on his back being dive bombed by world war 2 style Skuas - .After that we tried smoking KELP - drieing it out in the calor gas oven - not a hope it burnt your throat to shreds.On the last few days madness ensued - OK Team - were going to build a mermaid sculpture on the beach.We all got into it - lord of the flies style.RIGHT - You and Ian gather some seaweeed for the pubic hair.Ben - Rich - you plough on with making the breasts out of sand.Ian (one eyed mountain born and bred) - beat and holds as far as I know the record for carrying 80 yes - 80 woooden slats on an iron frame backpack across the island.Altogether - the best journey of my life.Hope the current team has made it round the island by now,and hope someone saw the legendary 'purple ringed plover'
The photo is of one of the cliffs on the island - home to kittiwakes and puffins.
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Lyrics
Willy pushed the boat out
And we sailed around the isle
And the lads for once said nothing
For the silence was a smile
The morning sun shone brightly as we landed on the shore
And unloaded crates of timber -
Two hundred odd or more
And the cuckoo sings for my daddio
Dum diddly doo di day
And the cuckoo sings for my daddio
Dum diddly doo di day
But I sing for my lonely girl
Oh the tigermoths were a plenty
On the graveyard on the hill
And the chanting of the island birds
Haunts me even still
We trod the muddy trail
From the crofts to Puffin bay
Theres a pleasure in working
For nowt on a summers day
And the cuckoo sings for my daddio
Dum diddly doo di day
And the cuckoo sings for my daddio
Dum diddly doo di day
But I sing for my lonely girl
Dreamin of that green eyed girl
I was standing in the cave
And the tide was rolling in
With the crash of foam and waves
And I asked the ocean king
Whether I be right or wrong
To have followed fortunes whisper
But an answer there came none
And the cuckoo sings for my daddio
Dum diddly doo di day
And the cuckoo sings for my daddio
Dum diddly doo di day
But I sing for this lonely boy
And we sailed around the isle
And the lads for once said nothing
For the silence was a smile
The morning sun shone brightly as we landed on the shore
And unloaded crates of timber -
Two hundred odd or more
And the cuckoo sings for my daddio
Dum diddly doo di day
And the cuckoo sings for my daddio
Dum diddly doo di day
But I sing for my lonely girl
Oh the tigermoths were a plenty
On the graveyard on the hill
And the chanting of the island birds
Haunts me even still
We trod the muddy trail
From the crofts to Puffin bay
Theres a pleasure in working
For nowt on a summers day
And the cuckoo sings for my daddio
Dum diddly doo di day
And the cuckoo sings for my daddio
Dum diddly doo di day
But I sing for my lonely girl
Dreamin of that green eyed girl
I was standing in the cave
And the tide was rolling in
With the crash of foam and waves
And I asked the ocean king
Whether I be right or wrong
To have followed fortunes whisper
But an answer there came none
And the cuckoo sings for my daddio
Dum diddly doo di day
And the cuckoo sings for my daddio
Dum diddly doo di day
But I sing for this lonely boy
Vic Holman
this is a classic in the style of a true folk tune here. a man set a drift at sea finding pleasure in his music.