The Parting Glass
A Multiple Versions Monday look at this Scottish parting song ...
Good morning. Happy-ish Monday to you all.
You know what we do most Mondays. We take a look and a listen to 5-6 versions of the same song. Generally the “original” and several cover versions.
Today is a bit different, as this is a traditional song. Meaning it’s been sung for hundreds of years. The earliest evidence of the song’s tune and lyrics dates back to approximately 1615-1635.
“The Parting Glass” was also very popular in Ireland, though it’s origins are Scottish. Shocker, then, that it’s one of my favorite traditional songs, right? LOL.
The Parting Glass
So, what’s a parting song? And what’s a parting glass?
A parting song was often sung when you took your leave from a gathering of friends. The most famous parting song is probably “Auld Lang Syne.”
And a parting glass? Also known as a stirrup cup, it is the “final hospitality” offered to a guest about to depart. The drink was handed to them whilst already settled on their horse, or in their carriage, to head home. The drink is meant to fortify the travel home.
The Playlists
As this is a traditional song, there is no original to launch our playlist. I’ve selected five of my favorite versions of the song. I’m interested to see which version, if any, is your “winner.”
Besodes the Pogues version, I’ve chosen standard deliver of this standard. It’s meant to be sung sans instrumentation, so I wanted the voices to be the main instrument in these versions.
My favorite? Henry Jamison + Darlingside. I love the bit of gentle sound behind the simple, but gorgeous, vocals.
This installment probably won’t be as well received as the recent Devo covers, but I like to keep you guessing as to what’s next for this series!
It might be a little odd to have a parting song launching this week’s posts, but I wouldn’t be me if I wasn’t a bit quirky. What’d you think? Does traditional music have any room on one of your playlists? Let a gal know!
Old songs like this have lasted for a reason thanks to the deep humanity of their lyrics and the sturdy architecture of their melodies. One cool thing about The Parting Glass is that Bob Dylan used it as inspiration for his classic song, Restless Farewell, which ends his third album. I wrote a little about that here: https://rockandrollglobe.com/dylan/bob-dylan-the-songs-they-are-a-changin/
Love this song. We sang this at my late grandmother's wake. She was Irish and as you say it's been a part of their folk culture for centuries. Love hearing someone else talk about it for a change. Thank you...