A "Translation" of "Several Species..."

[Craig Marion]

I didn't see this anywhere on the site so if this is duplicate information I appologize.

I found this one some ones site so I take no credit.

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The key to deciphering these lyrics is to have a rough idea of what the story’s about. The first clue is the word “Claymore” which refers to a broadsword that was popular in Scotland around the 16th century. Because the word “Mary” is in the lyrics, I took a wild guess that this might be an account of the famous defeat of Mary Queen of Scots at the battle of Langside that took place in the 16th Century. Then things just started to fall into place. Here’s my translation with explanations below:


Aye an a bit o’ mackerel, fiddler(1), rack(2) and fear,

And I rutted(3) down by the hade(4) and the furrow(5)

Well, I slipped me(6) in a flop(7) and hit down and I shied(9),

And I cried, cried, cried

The fear of fallin’ down aft’ taken, never back to rise(10)


And then cried Mary(11) and I tucked up(12)

Wi’ a Claymore out and about(13)

And I run down, down the mechyn sty(14),

And back on fiery hore(15) that was fallin’ around the feet


“Never”, I cried. “Never shall ye get me alive

Ya rotten hound of the Burnie Brae”.(16)


Well, I snapped(17) for a blade and a Claymore cut and thrust

And I fell down before him ‘round his feet.


Aye, a roar he cried! Frae the bottom of his heart

That I would nay fall but dead, dead as a can by a feat deah(17)...


And the wind cried Mary.




1) Fiddler -- Previously, the best available translation of this word was settler. It’s a good attempt, but makes no sense in the context. The beginning consonant is definitely an ‘f’. The word ‘fettler’ has several meanings that would have been very familiar in the vicinity of 16th Century Glasgow, the most appropriate of which is ‘a part time worker’. However, the word is more likely ‘fiddler’. This term, when used in the context of other seafood (Mackerel) would have brought to mind fiddler crabs. It’s interesting that soldier rations of the day included mackerel and crab.

2) Rack – This word had multiple meanings in 16th Century Scotland. Assuming this is an account of a great battle, the most appropriate definition is ‘rubble associated with battle’.

3) One common definition of ‘rut’ for that period is ‘route’ and was typically used in a military context. ‘Rutted’ would be in the sense of ‘trekked’.

4) Hade – ‘Haem’, meaning ‘home’ was an attempt for this word but it clearly ends with a‘d’ sound; not ‘m’. In the mining regions, such as the Langside area, a hade was a familiar term meaning sloping land or an area of unplowed land. This will make more sense after seeing item #5.

5) Furrow – To date there has been no satisfactory interpretation. The term, if you mentally separate it from the reverb, sounds like ‘furruh’ (with the rolling ‘r’). Now, a furrow is the groove formed by a plow and, in verse, often refers to plowed land. Taken together with ‘Hade’, the picture of sloping farmland, plowed and unplowed farmland, comes to focus. Interestingly, Langside was at that time surrounded by sloping farmland! Historically, Mary’s troops had descended from the “High Road” toward Langside as part of a troop maneuver. Thus the phrase “Rutted down by the Hade and the Furrow” makes perfect sense.

6) Slipped Me – a construct typical of the day meaning simply “I slipped”

7) A ‘flop’ is the old term for a muddy patch.

8) Hit Down – “landed hard”.

9, 10) ‘Shied’ was a term meaning, ‘to grow afraid or apprehensive’. The whole picture, then, is of someone slipping and falling down in mud (after all he was walking downhill through farmland) and becoming apprehensive for some reason. Why? -- Because falling down in mud made him think of falling down while in battle but never getting up. Thus “…And I cried, cried, cried, the fear of fallen down aft’, taken never back to rise.” (Shied, cried and rise all have the ‘ai’ sound with the Scottish accent).

11) Some interpret the next words to be “And then Craig Marion”. The other suggested interpretation is, “And then cried Mary and…” This interpretation makes much more sense in the context of the lines that follow as will be shown. Evidently, Mary Queen of Scots gives the battle cry and then the troops charge. Either that or the narrator cries out Mary to indicate his allegiance and build courage before charging.

12) “Tucked up” is the term that has been mistakenly translated “took that” or “get out”. In the 16th Century, when a peasant soldier in typical garb--a long over-shirt--was ready to charge he would first “tuck up”, which meant that he would put folds in his loose shirt and tuck it under his belt to keep it tight. It was this action and the resulting folds that gave birth to the kilt as part of the traditional Scottish military uniform.

13) About – it sounds like he’s saying “Claymore out and abott”. Actually, ‘abotte’ was an alternate spelling/pronunciation of ‘about’ at that time.

14) Mechyn Sty in the 16th Century meant “humble path”. History reports that Mary’s troops charged down a small path and into battle. Remember, sty would be pronounced stay with the Scots accent.

15) Hore – Filth. Not positive this is what he says, but if this is right, then the narrator runs down to a field, falls in mud, gets up, runs down a little path and then back into filth that surrounds his feet. But why would it say ‘back’? Not sure.

16) Burnie Brae – A burnie is a smallish river. Brae is pronounced like Brew which may be the reason why some have mistakenly interpreted it to be crew. A Brae is a hillside at a crook in a winding river. Guess what? There is a street in the Langside area called “Burnie Brae”. Interestingly, “Burnie Brae” is a common place name and street name in Scotland.

17) Snapped is synonymous with snatched.

18) Feat Deah – “deah” was a common Scottish word meaning “meaningful” or valorous. “Feat” is a deed” So this basically means “deed of valor”. He actually says something like “deah” twice and I haven’t figured out why. Sounds like he got it wrong the first time and then corrected himself.

[AnimalInTheWall]

WOW! Turns out "Several Species" actually had some kind of meaning. I don't know what this little tune means, and I sure don't have any idea as to what was going on in Roger's head when he recorded this one.

[Botley]

More proof that Rog is a lyrical and vocal genius... as both this and the similar (but non-Pictish) rant on Waiting For the Worms were both semi-spontaneous, one-take affairs.

[Us and Mudmen]

Yes, that definatly goes to show who had the most artistic value at times.