Name: Fields of the West
Duration: 4 min 14 s
Channel: Dave Boothroyd
Description: "Fields of the West" is a song by David Kilpatrick. A ballad in traditional style of emigrant yearning for the auld country, written by Dave Boothroyd who asked me to make a recording.

Fields of the West

David Kilpatrick

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A ballad in traditional style of emigrant yearning for the auld country, written by Dave Boothroyd who asked me to make a recording.

singer songwriter acoustic folk british guitarist song celtic traditional fingerstyle scottish scotland guitar kelso

David Kilpatrick

Solo singer-songwriter and tunesmith playing British fingerstyle steel and nylon string guitar, and historic instruments. Scots and Irish influences.

I've been writing and playing songs and tunes since teenage years in folk clubs and pubs. I co-organise the Kelso Friday night live music sessions at the Cross Keys (hosted singaround 7.45-10pm) and Cobbles Inn (10-12pm open mic with The Cobbles Band) with the help of many friends. All welcome! Visit us at kelsofolkandlive co uk. It is worth clicking on the tab because the sound quality of my tracks is far higher than the auto player on this page. Many can be streamed or downloaded at 320KBps and the enhancement for solo guitar/voice far exceeds the benefit you get for highly compressed band recordings. My recordings are full dynamic, not compressed. Just select Hi-Fi for the first song, and an MP3 high bitrate window will open - you will still get a sequence of songs. Most of my downloads are free, but some 320KBps tracks are paid-for. These are selected because they make up my main instrumental album. I now have a YouTube page and have started doing some video recordings for fun: @daviddkilpatrick I have mainly played Lowden guitars since 1999. I current play a 1985 S5FN (nylon string), 1986 S22 (jumbo O-size mahogany/cedar), and 1995 S32 (small body rosewood/spruce). I also play my own 1997-built Martin 'kit' Grand Auditorium rosewood/spruce, a Sigma OM-T, Furch Little Jane, Tacoma Papoose, Guild 8-string baritone, Vintage V880 parlour guitar and Gordon Giltrap signature model, a Troubadour mahogany/spruce classical and an Adam Black 12-string. And that's just the guitars... also viola, mandolin, mandola, waldzither, bouzouki, Appalachian dulcimer, low D whistle, keyboards.

Song Info

Genre

Acoustic • Acoustic Folk

Charts

Peak #9

Peak in subgenre #2

Author

Dave Boothroyd

Rights

Dave Boothroyd/David Kilpatrick

Uploaded

August 11, 2004

Track Files

MP3

MP3 3.9 MB • 128 kbps • 4:14

Story behind the song

British songwriter Dave Boothroyd turns his hand to many styles of music. He had this song written for over four years, with his own demo, and felt it might suit my approach. It's a classic tune, closely related to 'Ladies of Spain' and with a good triple time lilt to it. It would also work with a slower delivery, but to keep the length reasonable I have kept 'up to speed'. It is a recording straight from Dave's words and chords after listening to his demo a couple of times. I recorded the Lowden O-10 with pickup and mike first, sang the vocal over this, and finally added a little 12-string in the background.

Lyrics

The Fields of the West

by Dave Boothroyd

dave@gypseyrace.freeserve.co.uk

Oh my heart is ever yearning for the clear air of the mountains
Where the cool and crystal waters run down to the sea
And in my dreaming vision I see a house among the heather
Where a dark-eyed country maiden is waiting for me

Chorus:
I'm longing to wander in the Fields of the West
Where the old mother country takes me to her breast
For in that land of legend they say youth will last for ever
Oh my home across the ocean, it's there I'll find rest

And high up in the heaven a skylark will be singing
The fishing boats come sailing back home cross the bay
There'll be young lambs in the meadows and apples in the orchard
And a dram or two of whisky at the ending of the day

(Chorus)

With poets and with scholars there'll be learned conversation
Peat smoke and old songs rising up to the sky
With company and laughter and joyful celebration
With heroes and fair ladies the nights will pass by

(Chorus)

Shift up a full tone from Am to Bm:

But it's work for me tomorrow, midnight now already
Outside my window the city sirens scream
Sleep's too long in coming with the pain in this (old) body
And my only consolation's a fast-fading dream

(Chorus and repeat)