A9
| 1. |
A9
|
2:44
|
| 2. |
Angel of the North
|
4:36
|
| 3. |
Where are you tonight?
|
4:44
|
| 4. |
Love Is
|
2:53
|
| 5. |
Before we could say more
|
3:53
|
| 6. |
Turn away from your memories
|
4:08
|
| 7. |
Changes
|
4:26
|
| 8. |
Ring of the rainbow
|
2:33
|
| 9. |
Stand your ground
|
4:21
|
| 10. |
Restless men
|
4:30
|
| 11. |
Dream of Kintail
|
5:12
|
| 12. |
The thin red line
|
5:48
|
A9 Songs
A9
Dylan had his Highway 61, Bobby Troup had his Route 66, and I've got my A9! I grew up not far from the north end of the A9 and now I live at its southern end in Edinburgh.
Angel of the North
I heard a song by Paulo Nutini that mentioned something about an angel and Scotland. That set me thinking of "angel of the north". Then for some reason a line from an old traditional song came into my head - "lily of the west". From there on it was just a matter of thinking of everything that would rhyme with "west"!
Where are you tonight?
Sometimes someone you love is far away or out of reach, and all you can do is long for them and pray for them.
Love is
Love exists. The biggest question of life is why? Each verse speaks of a different experience of love.
Before we could say more
There's no easy way to deal with the heartbreak of a relationship coming to an end.
Turn away from your memories
Donnie Smith wrote this back in the late 60s or early 70s. It's a sad, but beautiful farewell song. Sometimes we just have to turn away.
Changes
I wrote this song for Evelyn for our Silver Wedding.
Ring of the Rainbow
I was flying over the Minch. I was going through one of the hardest times of my life. Out the window I suddenly saw a Brocken Spectre - the sun cast a shadow of the plane on the cloud below and it was surrounded by a circular rainbow. I knew there was an invisible protection around me and that God's promises still held true.
Stand your ground
Sometimes when you're under attack, all you can do is stand.
Restless men
This is another Donnie Smith composition, and it's a beautiful evocation of that feeling of seeing others leaving to seek their fortunes, but you stay. It's kind of ironic that Donnie is the one who went "into the setting sun", and we stayed behind!
Dream of Kintail
There are several versions of this song, but this is the one my father used to sing. He got it from a Miss Macleod of Caithness in the 1920s. You can hear my father sing it at Tobar an Dualchais. The version composed by Curliana Dingwall in 1904 seems quite different.
The Thin Red Line
The 93rd regiment (the Sutherland Highlanders) was raised in Strath Naver in 1800. In 1814 they were sent to America in the disastrous campaign that ended at New Orleans, while at home in Strath Naver their people were being evicted from their homes by the servants of the Countess of Sutherland. But it was in the Crimea War they achieved their lasting fame as "the thin red line" at the battle of Balaclava. Holywood has stolen this title for a film about the American army. I'm stealing it back.
