Scottish Songs

Lowlands - Chords, Lyrics and Origins

Origins

There is quite some debate about the origins of Lowlands, or 'Lowlands Away' as it is also known. It is sometimes claimed as Scottish, sometimes as English, and sometimes as American. There is also debate about whether it is a sea-shanty or a ballad. Sea-shanties were working songs, sung in rhythm to a particular job. For example, Capstan ballads were chanted whilst raising or lowering sails; other songs were sung whilst manning pumps. Often shanties have a call and response structure (think of 'Haul Away Joe' for example). I guess this allowed one sailor to set the rhythm of work for the others.

In terms of its call and response structure, 'Lowlands' obviously fits the shanty mode. But is it just too slow and mournful to be a work song? Well, the answer may be 'not necessarily'. Different jobs were executed at different paces. Some jobs, such as pulling up a snagged anchor, might require a very slow tempo indeed. In addition to the call-and-response format, there is also some other evidence that points towards the seafaring community. Firstly, the subject-matter (a drowned sailor). Secondly, the use of the phrase “my John” (no, this doesn't refer to a WC!). 'Johns' was a collective noun used in the nineteenth century to describe a ship's deckhands. So the phrase 'my John' doesn't necessarily invoke a person's name; rather it is the equivalent of 'my sailor' or 'my deckhand'. Possibly 'Lowlands' might have its origins in an earlier, now-lost Anglo-Scots ballad, but all the evidence seems to point towards its being sung at sea.

There are certainly – as so often – several variants of the lyrics. These seem to fall into two broad categories. One stream – the one represented in the lyrics section, below – concerns a visitation by a drowned lover. The other stream focuses on the working life of sailors based in mobile, Alabama. Presumably, the latter stream explains why the song is sometimes thought of as American in origin.