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about
The Alabama is the first single from HAV's forthcoming Album 'Haar'
Featuring MG ALBA Scots Singer of the Year/BBC Radio Scotland Young Musician of the Year finalist Iona Fyfe on vocals, the song tells the story of a fishing boat disaster out of the port of Buckie (Moray, Scotland) close to where Alex Ross (the song’s composer) and Iona Fyfe both grew up. Narrated by the sweetheart of one of the men lost in the tragedy, The Alabama is a personal meditation on the perilous risks that fisherman took and still take today.
lyrics
Ane day as I was walking aside the waters tide
Tae speak untae the waves, o’ aa that came ti mind
O my bonnie Buckie drifter boy, fa (gid awa ti sea
And how my hairt is broken and iver mair will be
He promised me a life far awa frae aw the grime
And the blood and broken skin of the herring fishing time
Sae bonnie and sae kindly he spoke his love tae me
My bonnie Buckie drifter boy, fa wint awa ti sea
The first day of October, there wis 30 boats gid oot
Wi lads fae Buckie, Lossie an’ Hopeman roon aboot
My Johnny he went wi them aw, to mend the broken nets
Aboard The Alabama, oor living for tae get
He sailed with Peter Clark, he’d been wi him three times
Roond by the Caithness fishin grun they casted oot their lines
But hivy wis the sea an I’ storm was cruel sare
And the boat was drookit through till it couldna hud nae mare
Noo doon amang the deeps far the sun his lost its shine
Lies The Alabama and her crew o nine
Oh water hear this sad lament that I noo sing tae thee
O my bonnie Buckie drifter boy, fa wint awa tae sea
credits
released June 4, 2021
Written, recorded and arranged by Hav (Alex Ross, Ian Paterson, Jonathan Bidgood)
"The most inspired folk offering you'll hear in these 12 months" - Rock&Reel Magazine.
Hav are a trio creating modern Scottish folk music. They are
Alex Ross, Jonathan Bidgood and Ian Paterson
The three members met nearly 20 years ago and have been gently distilling Hav for many years.
Great Scottish band! The addition of guests like Duncan Chisholm-fiddler extraordinaire- and Julie Fowlis-an authentic voice of Scotland- make it perfect. dardar1126
Iona has the best celtic voice around...
Fully melodic. Great traditional music. Great scottish band full of promises!
200% recommended. Iona's voice will reach your heart. Greg
Slugabed & Samuel Organ join forces to create glitchy pastoral soundscapes that feel uncannily modern and hauntingly medieval. Bandcamp New & Notable Nov 18, 2021
Just getting back into folk music. In my folking days it was Nic Jones, Martin Carthy, Dick Gaughan, the Dansfields etc., and I was afraid there wouldn't be anything as good around today. I was wrong. This is beautiful and stands with the best. Del Buck