Da Bressay Lullaby
Refrain:
Baloo, balilli, baloo balilli
Baloo, balilli, balooli ba.
Verse 1:
Gae awa peerie fairies (x3)
Fae oor bairn noo.
Verse2:
Dan come da bonnie angels (x3)
Ta wir peerie bairn.
Verse3:
Dey’ll sheen ower da cradle (x3)
O wir peerie bairn.
Glossary:
bairn - child
da - the
dan - then
dey’ll - they will
fae - from
ower - over
peerie - little
sheen - shine
ta - to
This song combines fear of malevolent fairies who might come and harm or even steal away the baby, with a call to the angels for protection. It might seem like an odd juxtaposition of pagan and Christian belief, but devout Christianity was not barrier to fear of fairies, who were thought to live alongside people and could be kept at bay with (relatively) modern innovations, such as iron or the Christian church.
For an audio version of this song click on the link:
