Eriskay Love Lilt
M. Macinnes


Vair me o ro van o
Vair me o ro van o ee
Vair me o ru o ho
Sad am I without thee.

When I'm lonely dear white heart
Black the night or wild the sea
By love's light, my foot finds
The old pathway to thee.

Vair me o ro van o
Vair me o ro van o ee
Vair me o ru o ho
Sad am I without thee.

Thou'rt the music of my heart
Harp of joy, oh cruit mo chridh
Moon of guidance by night
Strength and light thou'rt to me.

Vair me o ro van o
Vair me o ro van o ee
Vair me o ru o ho
Sad am I without thee.

In the morning, when I go
To the white and shining sea
In the calling of the seals
Thy soft calling to me.

Vair me o ro van o
Vair me o ro van o ee
Vair me o ru o ho
Sad am I without thee.

Midi sequenced by Barry Taylor

Cruit mo chridh means harp of my heart and is pronounced crootch mo chree. The island of Eriskay lies between Barra and South Uist in the Outer Hebrides and is three miles long by one and a half wide (5 km by 2.5 km). It is rocky and has poor soil but like the population has great charm, a rich history of Gaelic music and a footba' field. It was on this small island that Prince Charles Edward Stewart first set foot on Scottish soil at the start of the Rising in 1745. The bay where he landed is still called Prince's Bay. The song was first heard from Mary Macinnes of Eriskay and later adapted by Marjory Kennedy-Fraser and Kenneth MacLeod.

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