Search - James Wallace :: A Red, Red Rose

A Red, Red Rose - the Story Behind the Songs "A Red, Red Rose" (Robert Burns) The 'People's Poet', Robbie Burns, was a farmer who toiled hard and died young at age 37. One of the accomplished few remaining in the Scottish north, he preferred to farm his own land rather than follow the promise of professional favor in London. Remarkable in the relaxed ease with which he traversed society halls, he was equally at home amongst his farm neighbors. The world is touched by his "Auld Lang Syne," with revelers exchanging toasts at midnight. Robbie Burns would surely appreciate the spirit behind the gesture! Burns was also a lover and collector of Scottish legendary songs. Many of his own poems have been set to music with the underlying rhythm of the words. As a farmer, Burns toiled long and hard out under the elements. Hands on the plow, a rhythm to his steps, one could imagine the late-in-the-day falling light, Burns returning to his cottage, and by the fireside committing his thoughts and verses to paper. He was a friend of 'the common man' in an era of 'Highland Clearances', with families forced off the land and transported. Families separated and set sail for Van Diemen's Land, and the colonies that became Australia, and Nova Scotia. "A Red, Red Rose" is inspirational as a poem in an age of stormy oceans and enormous distances by canvas sail. The spirit, the promise of love is undampened, unquenchable, "...Tho' t'were ten thousand miles." As an Australian born in Perth, generations removed, these words resonate for me. My family has roots from the same region as Robert Burns's farm, southwest of Glasgow. We were pioneer Aussie settlers arriving by ship. Returning to Scotland years later, the circle of life was completed: my forebears left on a boat and here I was returning on a plane. Sandprints to snowflakes, experiencing Edinburgh cobblestones and exploring family sites two centuries removed, yet somehow familiar. "A Red, Red Rose" is updated here- in a wonderful collaboration with Denis Keldie - with a warmth and glow like the Highland sunsets I recall (Track # 1).