{"id":21635,"date":"2023-07-04T10:29:40","date_gmt":"2023-07-04T10:29:40","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/folksongandmusichall.com\/?page_id=21635"},"modified":"2023-07-04T10:39:30","modified_gmt":"2023-07-04T10:39:30","slug":"theres-a-wee-bit-land","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"http:\/\/folksongandmusichall.com\/index.php\/theres-a-wee-bit-land\/","title":{"rendered":"There’s a wee bit land"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
AKA<\/strong><\/td>My heart’s in bonnie Scotland<\/td><\/tr>
First Published<\/td>1909<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

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Writer\/composer<\/td>JC Grieve<\/td>Roud<\/strong><\/td>RN23526TBC<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

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Music Hall Performers<\/strong><\/td>Harry Lauder, Archie Anderson<\/td><\/tr>
Folk performances<\/strong><\/td>Collected from the singing of:<\/strong>
Hutchison, Robin; Scotland; 1960-89<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n
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There's a wee bit land far ayon't the sea\nIt's a land that aye will be dear to me;\nIt's my dream by nicht an' my thoaht by day - \nIt's a bonnie, bonnie country, but it's far away.\n\nBonnie, bonnie Scotland!\nScotland o'er the sea!\nMy heart is in bonnie Scotland\nThat's whaur my hame maun be<\/em>.\n\nThere my fondest love and affections dwell, \nAnd the mem'ry still ev'ry scene can tell\nO'er the pine clad hills I in fancy stray -\nIn that bonnie, bonnie country, that's sae far away.\n\nTake me back once mair whaur I'd like to be\nTo my ain dear hame far ayon't the sea,\nTo the land I love, far I canna stay\nFrae that bonnie, bonnie country, that's sae far away.\n<\/pre>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n
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A song from the repertoire of  Harry Lauder<\/a>, which was later collected from the singing of Robin Hutchinson. The song  was written and composed by John C Grieve (see below). Lauder introduced the song during his American tour of 1908 – this article appeared in several newspapers at the time:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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When the Lusitania came home from New York, she had on board over 400 passengers, but the people who had shivered at the waterside for hours were interested in one passenger\u2014Harry Lauder: “It’s a grand country.” he said about America. But I don’t want to live there for good. My heart lies in Scotland. I sang an American audience a verse about it one night; it ran like this:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
There’s a wee bit land far ayont the sea
It’s a land that will aye be dear to me;
It’s my dream by night an’ my thochts by day –
My heart’s in bonny Scotland, where my hame maun be.<\/em>“<\/p>\nBingley Chronicle – 26 February 1909, p6<\/cite><\/blockquote>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n
John Grieve was a Scottish writer and composer who specialised in writing musical plays for children (kinderspiel<\/em>) – the Edinburgh Evening News<\/em>, in reply to a query from a correspondent, published this short article:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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The author of “There’s a Wee Bit Land” is JC Grieve. Mr Grieve resided in Newington, Edinburgh. He died about 15 years ago [ie in 1912]<\/em>, and was buried in Liberton Churchyard. Mr Grieve was a prolific writer and wrote about a dozen kinderspiels….. “There’s a Wee Bit Land”<\/em> was originally published in the “Dan, the Newsboy”<\/em> kinderspiel, which was very popular in its day. Sir Harry Lauder and Archie Anderson sang the song into popular favour. <\/p>\nEdinburgh Evening News, 06 May 1927, p6<\/cite><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n
A contemporary recording:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Sung by ROBERT WATSON, Parlophone (A 2384), Archive.com<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
Sources:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n