Now you've done it again. I've spent the last hour reading message after message at the Digital Tradition/Mudcat Cafe about variations on Johnny Has Gone For a Soldier/Shule Aroon/Shule Agra/Here I sit on Yonder Hill....
All because of these lines:
I'll sell my rock, I'll sell my reel
I'll sell my only spinning wheel
to buy my love a sword of steel
Iss guh day thoo avorneen slawn
(last line written phonetically. It's actually spelled something like: A's go dté tú , a mhuirnín, slán, and means something like: May you walk in safety, love.)
Why this is interesting to me is Rock and Reel refer to spinning, distaff and drop spindle, I believe. although I have had someone tell me it refers to the spindle whorl and the spindle. It often gets transmogrified to rod and reel, or other things, like if it were about fishing.
And what the gaelic gets transmogrified into is almost amazing.
There are versions of this song all in gaelic, there are scottish varients from the 1600s, and zillions of versions, but they mostly keep the line about the spinning wheel.
By the way, Clannad does a beautiful version of this song on their Dulaman albumn (I think - I have it floating around somewhere!)
I've heard that song before, but I don't remember where; it almost brings tears to my eyes, thinking of it...I'll have to find that album.