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Photo – Michael preparing for a video of the song. He’s sitting on a stool in front of a green screen. Later, a photo of one of Scotland’s highlands was inserted behind him.

The Battle of Culloden

Lyrics – The Battle of Culloden

In dark skies the fire flies

Jacobite sons, bleed your compromise

Wild eyes… so frightened

On the Culloden Moor God rest their souls

For when the righteous have fallen

The highland winds will e’er cry their name

And they will ne’er be forgotten

Out of the dark… let the silence be blessed



Red coats and sliced throats

The musket and sword lay the lion to rest

Sweet sound of silence

After the ravaged blood has stained the land

For the weary no vengeance

As the savage cry stills their hand

But they shall ne’er be forgotten

Into the dark… they shall ne’er be alone



Humm ditty ditty butty dum bitty butty ditty ditty

Humm ditty butty dum ditty butty bum

Humm ditty ditty butty dum bitty butty ditty ditty

Humm ditty butty dum ditty butty bum



Suilean làn eagal   (Eyes full of fear)

Leigeil fuil air an talamh  (Bleeding on the Earth)

Tha an teine a' fàs  (The fire grows)

Fiadhaich air an gaoithe  (Fierce on the wind)



The dear cost of life lost

Nowhere to run from the freedom they seek

The great young pretender

A bonnie dear Prince they cry his name

And they will never surrender

Run toward the sword they die in vain

When the final defender

Goes into the dark… his name is written in stone



Humm ditty ditty butty dum bitty butty ditty ditty

Humm ditty butty dum ditty butty dum

Humm ditty ditty butty dum bitty butty ditty ditty

Humm ditty butty dum ditty butty dum

The Making of a Song

This song is the serendipitous coincidence of a a few different elements coming together. It would not have happened if any of those elements were missing.

The ‘Outlander’, a Netflix series set mostly in 18^th century Scotland had captured enough of my interest to warrant a little bit of historical research. I have never been to Scotland, but the affinity I feel for the wildly free and proud highlander is very real. I have a fanciful notion, not based on anything really, that some time long ago, perhaps very long ago, my ancestors lived there. Perhaps they were farmers.

I didn’t start out with the intention of writing a song about this particularly tragic moment in Scottish history but rarely will I sit down with a guitar and a plan to come up with a song. It just sort of happens while noodling around and exploring different rhythms. It just so happened that I had my guitar tuned to an open C chord that day which was the critical second element. From thick to thin string, this tuning goes C G C G C E. The early James Gang song ‘Garden Gate’ and Leo Kottke’s ‘Busted Bicycle’ are two examples of songs played in this tuning.

With season two came a history lesson on the Jacobites and their fight for independence from the British crown. I had just finished watching the poignantly tragic episode of the battle itself, but didn’t even realize I had begun to write a song with that theme until I started searching for a rhyming second line and the word ‘Jacobite’ appeared on the paper.

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The third element that was looking for a way to manifest was a recently developed taste for Celtic flavoured music. I was thus compelled to find a powerful female vocalist who could do it justice. In my opinion, this song would not have worked without Melanie’s vocals.

The Gaelic bridge section does not mean that I speak Gaelic, but it does lend a more authentic feel than say Chinese or Swahili would. Language is a truly fascinating study, each one intimately entwined with the history of a geographical area. It is my hope that this song conveys an emotion that might resonate with a modern day highlander whose ears might happen to catch it. It is my hope that it might be appreciated by whoever might be listening to it through Stephanie’s blog.

Michael,

Song List

Michael’s Music – This Time is Yours

Michael’s Music – The Battle of Culloden

Michael’s Music – Live Right Now

© Stephanie Wells and Travels and Adventures of Joyful Stephanie, 2015-2023. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this site’s author and/or owner is strictly prohibited.