The Guidebook states: Crinan Wood rises 100 metres above the picturesque village of Crinan, Scotland and the famous Crinan canal. Crinan Wood is an exceptional place; with its moist, warm climate it is often described as a remnant of Scotland’s own rainforest and it is home to a vast variety of ferns and lichens. 24 species of birds can be found in the wood, including buzzard, tree creeper, redstart and wood warbler. Such impressive natural diversity is typical of the ancient Atlantic oakwoods of the west coast of Scotland. Celtic settlers from Ireland would have passed here more than 1500 years ago. Tradition tells of a Norwegian prince, defeated in battle nearby, whose line of retreat is where the Crinan canal now sits. There was a time when oakwoods stretched between countries. From Spain and France, to England, Wales and Scotland a scattering of native oakwood still survives. Crinan Wood is one of them.
I believe this song represents the final thoughts of one who is about to be executed. He is about to be thrown into the nearby Crinan Canal. I believe the phrase, "See these knots around my hands around my feet. They would take me down my end for me to meet" speaks of his imminent execution. The phrase "There were stones inside my pockets that were found" are the stones placed there to weigh his dead body down beneath the water. He is recalling his true love, someone with whom he shared happier times in Crinan Wood. This is a song of parting - HIS parting, from this life, involuntarily. The dirge-like metre of the song, the poignancy of the lyrics and finality of the phrasing betrays its' kinship to tragic death. Perhaps, rather than a common criminal, he was a Scottish rebel or even the defeated Norwegian King of legend. The phrase "I grow weary of this struggle and this fight; Morning so far off from out here in the night" evokes someone ready to acquiese to their fate. Perhaps she was his Queen, left behing in Norway. The phrase "Before I knew you I went climbing in the snow, and called your name out to the darkness down below" and "In the distance mountains waiting for the Fall" could certainly suggest Norway. I believe "the Fall" in this phrase referes to no season, but rather to the "Fall of Man" or the King's demise. These are the remembrances of a condemned man, recited from beyound the Pale. Scotland and Ireland, lands of countless persecutions by countless interlopers, are filled to brimming with such tales.
The Guidebook states: Crinan Wood rises 100 metres above the picturesque village of Crinan, Scotland and the famous Crinan canal. Crinan Wood is an exceptional place; with its moist, warm climate it is often described as a remnant of Scotland’s own rainforest and it is home to a vast variety of ferns and lichens. 24 species of birds can be found in the wood, including buzzard, tree creeper, redstart and wood warbler. Such impressive natural diversity is typical of the ancient Atlantic oakwoods of the west coast of Scotland. Celtic settlers from Ireland would have passed here more than 1500 years ago. Tradition tells of a Norwegian prince, defeated in battle nearby, whose line of retreat is where the Crinan canal now sits. There was a time when oakwoods stretched between countries. From Spain and France, to England, Wales and Scotland a scattering of native oakwood still survives. Crinan Wood is one of them.
I believe this song represents the final thoughts of one who is about to be executed. He is about to be thrown into the nearby Crinan Canal. I believe the phrase, "See these knots around my hands around my feet. They would take me down my end for me to meet" speaks of his imminent execution. The phrase "There were stones inside my pockets that were found" are the stones placed there to weigh his dead body down beneath the water. He is recalling his true love, someone with whom he shared happier times in Crinan Wood. This is a song of parting - HIS parting, from this life, involuntarily. The dirge-like metre of the song, the poignancy of the lyrics and finality of the phrasing betrays its' kinship to tragic death. Perhaps, rather than a common criminal, he was a Scottish rebel or even the defeated Norwegian King of legend. The phrase "I grow weary of this struggle and this fight; Morning so far off from out here in the night" evokes someone ready to acquiese to their fate. Perhaps she was his Queen, left behing in Norway. The phrase "Before I knew you I went climbing in the snow, and called your name out to the darkness down below" and "In the distance mountains waiting for the Fall" could certainly suggest Norway. I believe "the Fall" in this phrase referes to no season, but rather to the "Fall of Man" or the King's demise. These are the remembrances of a condemned man, recited from beyound the Pale. Scotland and Ireland, lands of countless persecutions by countless interlopers, are filled to brimming with such tales.