In Remote Part/Scottish Fiction

I love the poem element but I think it's important to realise it is not a salute to scottish tenacity but highlights some controversial issues in Scottish modern history eg,

There's a red road rage, But it's not road rage It's asylum seekers engulfed by a grudge

I feel this refers to the infamous 'Red Road' flats, towers of near inhospitable flats which were filled primarily with asylum seekers. There was great unrest in this area and it was a result of unfounded beliefs and 'grudges' about asylum seekers. This was also in part a response to the governments way of handling them.

Furthermore,

It isn't in the castle, it isn't in the mist It's a calling of the waters as they break to show The new black death with reactors aglow Do you think your security can keep you in purity?

Is a reference to the Faslane nuclear base, a juxtaposition between beautiful scottish scenery and the knowledge that just below the surface of our precious lochs submarines equipped with nuclear war heads reside. This operation is supposedly for "security" but the poem questions the morality of such a scheme.

This song is an awesome way to end the album. The poem at the end sounds incredible. I've been trying to find the words to this song for ages - the scottish accent is hard to decipher. I didn't notice that it was Scottish FRICTION, Scottish FICTION. Also I think it sounds like 'obscurity' as opposed to 'security'. Otherwise good job - thanks.

When I first heard "in remote part" i was almost moved to tears the lyrics are stunning, "We stop in every passing place To watch the world move faster than we do Watch it pass with our eyes closed the way we usually choose to" thse lyrics are the best ive heard in a long time, sums up the avoidence people use to just blank out what is going on in the world, its always so much easier to just let things pass you by rather than trying to intervene or change them. People are always taking any opportuinity to avoid life and what it demands, wheter this is in a relationship or otherwise, in the song i think roddy is specifically refering to the way that this happens in a relationship, that issues are never confronted, people just chose to let things drift.

i dont think that with this song one can say "it means this..", instead it talks about something: namely, Scotland and the Scottish identity. This is indeed the "full-stop" to the album, and deals directly with the albums main theme, identity. Roddy is singing to Scotland, and the poet at the end is basically saying that Scotland's charm is not something solid and concrete, but a feeling.

I think Roddy is also pointing out that we often look at the world around us (scotland, i'm scottish so it is around me) but we dont really realise how beautiful it is. And how we should tresure it. This song means alot to me and makes me proud to be scottish!

i agree totally "samcooper" and "heavens child" im also scottish and am very proud of it. the feeling that samcooper refers to i think is deep in "the remote part" of true scots hearts. thank you

Wow. Agreed, a great way to end the album and the poem is classic.

But i dont think the scottish accent is hard to understand.

Yeh it shouldn't be difficult, Roddy is from Edinburgh and people always seem to say that Edinburgh accents are easy to understand but Glaswegian is a nightmare. I'm Glaswegian but my family are English and they have real trouble understanding me. Back to the song, I think with the whole Scottish FICTION thing it's talking about the stereotypes that come with being Scottish and also the identity part that samcooper, Hezven's_Child and Nothing_To_Savour all talk about. I like the fact that they have put the message in this album "Support your local poet", don't know if this is meant literally of it just means 'be proud of your identity', so in that way, yes i think it's dedicated to their Scottish fans. It's great that they seem to be getting the message across. "You will not shake us off" is sort of showing how proud and determined the Scottish seem to be at keeping their identity. Though you can't really describe it, it isn't all kilts and lochs. I think while the whole of Britain seems to be merging with America (which SUCKS), like the subject in 'American English', Scotland are gonna have to try and keep their culture, but not be known by their cleches... Think i'm rambling now... You get my point...

Scotland are very anti-England. Which saddens me cos the scots kick.

And this song gets better and better.

Doesn't that song consist of two completely different parts? The second one about Scotland, okay. But the first one deals with some kind of one-sided relationship. Maybe someone's loving his/her best friend without being loved back, they hooked up drunk (see "and even if the breath between us smells of alcohol") and now the same person tries to convince the other person to start a relationship at all (see "so i'll wait 'til i find the remote part of your heart"). Just my two cents, would like to read other comments on that theory.

Pretty exactly my situation, by the way.