Ode to Loch Lomond

This is a belated ode but a sincere one all the same to the bonnie, lovely Loch Lomond my mum, Matt and me visited over Thanksgiving weekend. I am not sure if there is anything that has given me that true Scotland lovin' feeling quite like visiting the lochs on the borders of the Highlands. It was just a taste of I am sure is to come when this lands thaws enough for some more hospitable traveling in future months. Still, it was a pretty impressive experience that will serve as that happy, serene place I go in my head on the rough, dark days.

 

Do you know the song associated with this place? I have to confess that I didn't until our guide cued me in a bit with some background info on the lyrics. Of course, the chorus has these famously bittersweet lines:

"O ye’ll tak’ the high road, and I'll tak' the low road

And I’ll be in Scotland afore ye

For me and my true love will ne-er meet again

On the bonnie, bonnie banks o’ Loch Lomon'. "

No doubt there are many stories you can get to explain the lines from this 19th century poem, but I liked the story that we got that day. As far as I can remember it, the story refers to the a Scottish highlander and his friend who were captured rebels in England. One of them needed to face an execution for wrongs that had been committed and the highlander said he would "take the low road" or face death so his friend could be freed. According to folklore in these parts, the spirit of one who dies for his country will return to their homeland. The highlander knew that his friend's journey back to Scotland would ultimately be longer than his own but his own death would still prevent him from spending time with his love on the bonnie banks of Loch Lomond.

It is truly a satisfyingly romantic and tragic story to live up to the sound of the song. The Finnish lady behind me on the bus got very much caught up in the moment when the guide played some different renditions of it and was really belting it out when the chorus came around each time. I couldn't blame her. It really is a beautiful song and I can't help but get that choked up nostalgic feeling when I listen to a good version of it. Would you forgive me if I said that even the Voice Male version on Grooveshark.com tugged at my heartstrings a bit? Here's a more traditional (and better) rendition for you to enjoy by John McDermott. See if you can't find some place beautiful to mourn and celebrate over in your life while you listen to it.