We’re finishing off series 2 of the podcast with a song which has perhaps the best backstory of any Scottish folk song, MacPherson’s Farewell.

You can listen to the full version of the song on The Sorries album Auld Lang Syne and can hear more of our songs on the major streaming services or by visiting http://thesorries.co.uk

You can also get lots of Sorries-themed rewards - including exclusive videos, song tutorials and even a house concert - if you sign up to support us on Patreon : https://www.patreon.com/TheSorries

The beautiful Border ballad Jock O Hazeldean is the subject of this week’s episode. The song tells the tale of a young woman who skips out on her handsome young groom-to-be and instead heads north to be with her true love, Jock.

First collected by Sir Walter Scott for his Minstrelsy of the Scottish Borders at the beginning of the 19th century, it may actually date from almost 100 years before that.

Music featured:

You can listen to the full version of the song on The Sorries album The Sorries and can hear more of our songs on the major streaming services or by visiting http://thesorries.co.uk

You can also get lots of Sorries-themed rewards - including exclusive videos, song tutorials and even a house concert - if you sign up to support us on Patreon : https://www.patreon.com/TheSorries Some references and further reading are to be found on the podcast site - scottishsongguide.com

A song from the pen of Walter Scott is the focus of this week’s episode as we look at Blue Bonnets Over the Border.

Expect to hear talk of Covenanters, Brighton and laudanum, not to mention the sound of a fire crackling in the background and Marty coming dangerously close to acting…

Music featured:

You can listen to the full version of the song on The Sorries albums Live at the Fringe and The Sorries and you can hear more of our songs on the major streaming services or by visiting https://thesorries.co.uk

Some references and further reading are to be found on the podcast site - scottishsongguide.com

You can also get lots of Sorries-themed rewards - including exclusive videos, song tutorials and even a house concert - if you sign up to support us on Patreon : https://www.patreon.com/TheSorries

The subject of this week's episode is the very familiar song Wild Mountain Thyme.

But should we call it Will Ye Go Lassie, Go... or possibly Purple Heather... or should it actually be The Braes o’ Balquhidder?!

Douglas and Marty delve into the origins and development of this much-covered song, and look at Robert Tannahill and Francis McPeake, two figures who arguably did most to shape the song we sing today.

You can also get lots of Sorries-themed rewards - including exclusive videos, song tutorials and even a house concert - if you sign up to support us on Patreon :

This week we’re getting the spades out and digging around in the history of arguably the most widely identifiable Scottish song of all - Loch Lomond  (also referred to in some quarters as The Bonnie, Bonnie Banks of Loch Lomond ).

Marty and Douglas express some pretty definite opinions on a song which, in its worst guise, can become a tacky, clichéd representation of Scotland, but in its best can be a heart-wrenching ballad or a unifying, crowd-pleasing stomper.

The song we’re analysing in the latest episode of the Scottish Song Guide is one which features in folk song collections in a number of countries - The Bonnie Lass of Fyvie.

You can listen to the full song on The Sorries album Land of the Leal and can hear more of our songs on the major streaming services or by visiting http://thesorries.co.uk

For the second episode in the new series of the Scottish Song Guide we're investigating a song which first appeared very nearly 300 years ago, Dumbarton’s Drums.

We're back for a brand new series of the Scottish Song Guide, and first up we're looking into the origins of the song Cam Ye By Atholl.

A special episode just to say a quick “Happy Homemanay” (boom, boom) to everyone out there and to offer up some music in lieu of us being out there playing live this New Year’s Eve.

We’ve recorded a couple of session tracks, a new version of the old favourite MacPherson’s Rant, and another popular choice but one which we haven’t previously recorded in the studio – Will Ye No Come Back Again.

Please enjoy, keep safe and we wish you all the best for the year ahead.

In Episode 6 of The Scottish Song Guide, Marty & Douglas investigate the origins of Lady Nairne's song, Land of the Leal. The song was the title track for our second album and although not usually regarded as one of the best known Scottish songs, it has had – and continues to have – quite a legacy.