Hamlet: Scots Ballad Remix (in just 3 minutes)

[woolymonkey]

The way I heard it,  "Oor Hamlet" was written after a teacher at a songwriting workshop claimed you should be able to tell any story in 3 verses.  Mind you, they are quite long verses.

I have loved it since I first heard Martin Carthy perform it and spent years tracking it down to an obscure recording on cassette that I had to order from Our Price and wait three weeks for.  Now I've just found 5 different versions on Teh Interweb for free!

Adam McNaughton singing "Oor Hamlet"  Completely worksafe if you don't mind funny looks.

The words - which you will need unless you spend a lot of time around Glaswegians.

Enjoy!

Comments

[smtfhw.livejournal.com]

Then a troop of travelling actors, like Seven-Eighty-Four
Arrived tae dae a special one-night gig in Elsinore

Love the reference to 7:84... That's put a smile on my face, frankly... Our English Lit teacher used to do a great summation of Hamlet using handbags as bodies...

[woolymonkey.livejournal.com]

I had to read the notes to understand 7:84. (I know: Southerner!) But who could resist rhyming Laertes with parties - or making up for hesitating by killing Claudius twice?

[smtfhw.livejournal.com]

Yep... It's very good. The reason 7:84 resonates with me if because I still recall this being shown on the BBC way back in the early 70s, and it had a massive impact on me, both in terms of the history it was portraying and as a theatrical piece. If it ever sneaks out on DVD, I'm having a copy, let me tell you.

[lj_stowaway]

*giggling*

Thank you for this!