Key signature: Eminor
Submitted on June 12th 2001 by Miss Lonelyhearts.
This tune has been added to 307 tunebooks.
Also known as The Breakaway Child.
Recordings of a tune by this name:
X: 1
T: Strayaway Child, The
M: 6/8
L: 1/8
R: jig
K: Emin
A|:BEE GEE|B,EE G2 A|BEE A2 G|FDF Adc|
|BEE GEE B,EE G2 A|BcB B2 A|GEE E2 A:|
|:Bee BdB|dBG AGA|Bee BdB|1 dBG A2 A|Bee BdB|
|dBG AGA|BcB B2 A|GEE E2 A:|2 dBG A2 f|gfe dcB|
|AGA BGE|AGE DB,D|~E3 E2 D|
|:EAG EDE|~G3 BAG|AGE DB,D|EFE E2 D|EAG EDE|
~G3 BAG|AGE DB,D|1 ~E3 E2 D:|2 EFE E2 B|
|:efe ded|cBA BGE|GAB dBB|AGE D2 c|BAG EDE|
|GAB cBA|BAG EAG|1 ~E3 E2 B:|2 ~E3 E2 A|
|:Bee efg|fdf edA|Bee efg|fdf e2 f|gfe dcB|
|AGA BGE|AGE DB,D|1 ~E3 E2 A:|2 ~E3 E2 B|
|:edB edB|AGA BGE|edB edB|AGA ~B3|edB gfe|
|dcB AGA|BAG EAG|1 ~E3 E2 B:|2 ~E3 E3|
The Strayaway Child
Michael Gorman wrote this beautiful six-part jig and it's been widely recorded (Kevin Burke on Sweeney's Dream comes to mind). It likes a slow but steady pace, with maybe a few slides and slurs thrown in to emphasize the moodiness of the melody line. Though not overly difficult to play, Strayaway Child can take a fair amount of practice just to keep all the parts straight and in the right order.
# Posted on June 12th 2001 by Miss Lonelyhearts
Strayaway Child
This is one of my favorite tunes of all time. I first heard it as a child - my mother had a tape of Jerry Read Smith's "Strayaway Child" album, which was the soundtrack to my life for a while. This tune made a big impression on me, even way back then, so when I started playing ITM myself, it was a tune that I absolutely had to learn. It's true that the tune itself isn't that difficult, but I still find it tough to play on the fiddle (it's somewhat easier on the whistle, I find). Maybe I'm just too hard on myself - it's such a lovely tune that I often don't feel I can do it justice.
# Posted on May 18th 2002 by wordridden
The Strayaway Child
I first heard this tune on a Chieftains album, (The Magic of the Chieftains 1992) and I loved it straight away because they used a didgeridoo in the background, to give a pipe-like back drone. Me being a didge player I have HAD to include it in our band's set list! We play it in D minor as my didge is tuned to D, and we have the melody played by our fiddler. We also have a cellist playing a bass line, so we play it quite slow and it has a lovely fluid, slinky feel. If ever we record it I'll try to download it onto this site (although I'm a complete computer numpty so I'll have to get someone else to do it!).
# Posted on March 13th 2003 by Didgebloke
Margaret Barry not Michael Gorman
This was composed by Margaret Barry, she had some autobiographical words to it too, none of which I can remember. Those two were cronies in London, that's probably how it got mixed up
# Posted on April 16th 2003 by Brad Maloney
Margaret Barry wrote this? Bloomin eck, from the recordings I've heard, she couldn't even put one right chord in front of the other....
# Posted on May 12th 2004 by Jamie
well.. maybe thats a bit of hyperbole, but are you sure Brad?
# Posted on May 12th 2004 by Jamie
I've always heard Strayway Child credited to Barry. I wouldn't be too quick to diss her. She had a hard time of it at various points but she plugged away and kept the fire going. Whether you like her style or not, there'll never be her like again!
# Posted on May 12th 2004 by Aidan Crossey
Yeh, you're write aidan, I shouldn't be too quick to diss, indeed I've never heard her singing, its only her accompanying that bothered me, but even then the context is, as you say, an entirely foreign thing now.
# Posted on May 12th 2004 by Jamie
By the way, Brad ... my remembering is that rather than just being cronies, Barry and Gorman tied the knot! I also heard that despite being from Cork originally and having spent most of her adult years in London, she somehow ended her days in Moira, Co Down (near to Lurgan in County Armagh, where I grew up and - no disrespect to any Moira people - a bit of a characterless hole in the hedge). But that latter story was told to me by a mate who often blurs the line between fact, fiction and fantasy, so I don't know whether to attach any creedence to it at all.
# Posted on May 12th 2004 by Aidan Crossey
No, I think you're right there - about her ending in Down, indeed I think she was buried there. I'm just dead impressed by this tune of hers, its bloody awesome.
# Posted on May 12th 2004 by Jamie
Margaret Barry
Jamie ... It might be worthwhile getting hold of a recording of her. There's a great CD I have of her and Michael Gorman and a few others; I think it's called "Her Mantle So Green" (well,that's certainly one of the songs). Her singing is a phenomenon. Not a beautiful singer by any means; but a powerful and completely natural voice. I'd be hard-pushed to listen to an evening of her, but there are one or two songs on this album which blow me away. (The Cycling Champion Of Ulster - to the tune of Rosin The Bow - pushes all my buttons!).
# Posted on May 12th 2004 by Aidan Crossey
right (not spelt write this time!) you are then Aidan, might have some dosh in a few months too...
# Posted on May 12th 2004 by Jamie
Spending money ...
Whoa, Jamie. I'd try to borrow some of her music before I hand over cash. The only reason I weighed in here at all is because a few weeks ago I spent a while arguing the merits of Margaret Barry's singing to a friend who thought her singing was torture to listen to. I can well appreciate that her spartan banjoery and her unique vocal style are inaccessible to some people - as I''ve said above, I'd find it difficult to listen to a whole evening. But I think there's a great power in her singing, a great lonesomeness and a a great deal of self-containment. But the singing aside, The Strayaway Child (I wonder if that's an autobiographical reference) is a great gift to the music.
# Posted on May 13th 2004 by Aidan Crossey
Margaret Barry
My favourite song on the album that Aidan mentioned is The Turfman from Ardee. She was a traveller and I heard that she lived with Michael Gorman but didn´t actually marry him, which was the cause of great scandal at the time!
She was also the only musician ever known to have busked her own queue. She turned up early at a venue where she was giving a concert, saw the queue of people waiting outside and seeing the chance of making a few bob, proceeded to busk the queue.
proceeded to busk the
# Posted on May 13th 2004 by murfbox
Sorry about the repetition....!
# Posted on May 13th 2004 by murfbox
Gorman
Here's a recording of Michael Gorman playing it. http://www.cranfordpub.com/mp3s/michaelgorman3.mp3
Beautiful tune. I first heard it played by the Bothy Band.
-Max
# Posted on June 18th 2004 by Max Becher
Margaret Barry
She has two recording that I have found. Her version of "My Lagan Love" is amazing as well as "The Flower of Sweet Strabane." Her voice was unique and had the power that did not require a microphone to capture.Her approach, breath and line to singing many of her songs unacompanied is worth a second listen. This style of singing, I thought, had been lost until I heard the sean nos singer from Connemara, Nan Tom Teaimin. Here's another one to listen to.
Phill
# Posted on August 22nd 2004 by Butch
My personal theory is, based on their respective talents only - Gorman wrote it and gave her the publishing credit.
# Posted on February 8th 2006 by stephen wilson
More on Margaret Barry
Here is a piece from Irish TV that has her telling the story of how this tune came to her in a dream.
http://www.tg4.tv/channels/SileArchive.aspx?mm=l&ns=131&a=13178
# Posted on September 14th 2006 by baglady
Strayaway Child
This is my version which is very close to the Kevin Burke version.
X: 1
T: Strayaway Child, The
M: 6/8
L: 1/8
R: jig
K: Emin
A|:BEE GEE|BEE G2 A|BEE BAG|FDF Adc|
|BEE GEE | BEE G2 A|BcB B2 A|GEE E2 A:|
|:Bee BdB|dBG AGA|Bee BdB|dBG A2 A|
Bee BdB|dBG AGA|BcB B2 A|GEE E2 A|
Bee BdB|dBG AGA|Bee BdB|dBG A2 f|
gfe dcB|AGA BGE|AGE DBD|~E3 E2 D||
|:EAG EDE|~G3 BAG|AGE DBD|E3 E2 D|
EAG EDE|~G3 BAG|AGE DBD|1 E3 E2 D:|2 E3 E2 B ||
|:efe ded|BcA BGE|GAB cBA|BGE D2 c|
BAG EDE||GAB cBA|BAG EAG|1 ~E3 E2 B:|2 ~E3 E3 :|
|:Bee efg|fdf edA|Bee efg|fdf e2 f|gfe dcB|
|AGA BGE|AGE DBD|1 ~E3 E2 A:|2 ~E3 E2 B||
|:edB edB|AGA BGE|edB edB|AGA ~B3|edB gfe|
|dcB AGA|BAG EAG|1 ~E3 E2 B:|2 ~E3 E3|
# Posted on January 27th 2007 by JACKB
Beat Smash Square version
As played (more-or-less) in a hypnotic version by Beat, Smash, Square:
X: 1
T: Strayaway Child, The
M: 6/8
L: 1/8
R: jig
K: Emin
A|:BEE GEE|BEE G2 A|BEE DAG|FDF A3| BEE GEE | BEE G2 A|BcB B2 A|GED E3:|
|:Bee BdB|dBG AGA|Bee BdB|dBG A3| Bee BdB|dBG AGA|B2B B2 A|GED E3|
Bee BdB|dBG AGA|Bee B[d]B|dBG A2 f| gfe dcB|AGA BGE|AGE DBD|E2E E3||
|:EAG EDE|~G3 BAG|AGE DBD|E3 E2 D| EAG EDE|GzG BAG|AGE DBD| E2E E3:|
|:efe ded|cBA BGE|GAB dBA|AGE D2 z| BAG EDE|GAB cBA|BAG EAG|E2E EDE:|
|:Bed efg|fdf edA|Bed efg|fdf e2 f|gfe dcB|AGA BGE|AGE DBD| E2E E3 :|
|:edB edB|AGA BGE|edB edB|AGA ~B3|edB gfe| |dcB AGA|BAG EAG| E2E E3 :|
# Posted on April 9th 2008 by srt19170
Chieftains Play It In Cm
Though the version here in Em is easier to play, I believe the Chieftains play it in Cm. (I had to use a Bb whistle to play along with them.) I think the digeridoo player drones in C. We're working up a version in Em with the dig player playing E. In any case, their version is downright funky-nasty-cool.
# Posted on January 4th 2009 by David Savage
Strayaway Child, The
Played here by John McEvoy and John Wynne
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3txUKS_Frq4
# Posted on September 13th 2009 by conscientious objector