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pultneytooner
17-Oct-06, 23:34
I'm interested in a song about a soldier's widow, Henny Munro. She had followed her husband in all his campaigns, marches and battles, in Sicily and in Spain and stayed with him till his last hour.
After his death she returned to the place of her birth totaly bereft of any means of support but she was treated well by her friends who built her a small cottage and gave her a cow and grazing land. The din of arms, orders and counter-orders from head-quarters, marchings and counter-marchings and pitched battles, retreats and advances, were the leading and nearly unceasing subjects of her winter evening conversations. She was a joyous, cheery old creature; so inoffensive, moreover, and so contented, and brimful of good-will that all who got acquainted with old Henny Munro could only desire to do her a good turn, were it merely for the warm and hearty expressions of gratitude with which it was received.
Anybody know the lyrics to the song about this fascinating woman?

acameron
18-Oct-06, 00:11
HENNY MUNROE
Jim McLean 1968


Now Henny Munroe, she married a soldier,
And followed him round the whole world over,
Wherever he fought, there was no one bolder,
Than beautiful Henny, the wife of Munroe.
But one day in Sicily, Donald lay dying,
A bullet had caught him and laid him out low,
Our Henny she buried him where he was lying,
And back to Grumbeg came our Henny Munroe.



When Henny Munroe to Scotland came back,
Her neighbours agreed that nothing she'd lack,
So they gave her a cow, a cottage and tack,
For to pass the old age of brave Henny Munroe.
They gave her a chair, a table and chest,
And they listened at night to the tales that she told.
Of campaigns in Spain and the wounds that she dressed,
Oh, wild were the stories of Henny Munroe.



Now Henny was grey, the snow was a falling,
When Sellar the factor, one night came calling.
"Get out with you fast!", his men were a yelling,
"We're burning the cottage of Henny Munroe"
"We've orders from Sutherland, Duke of this county,
It's wanted for sheep so away you must go!"
The one of his company threw in a faggot
And frightened the life out of Henny Munroe!


They took her meal chest and laughingly spilled it,
They took her one cow and laughingly killed it,
The Minister said "The Good Lord had willed it"
To punish poor wicked old Henny Munroe.
"I've travelled the world and seen the Barbarian,
Followed my Donald wherever he'd go,
But Scotland, my country, the land I was born in
Has broken the heart of old Henny Munroe!"


A man took a pole and smashed in her gable,
Her furniture burned, her chair and her table,
To save her own skin she was only just able,
Oh loud were the roarings of Henny Munroe!
"A curse on your children ", cried Henny the widow,
"If Donald was living he'd give you a show.
What Russia and Turkey and Sicily couldn't do
Scotland has done to old Henny Munroe!"



also http://cgi.befr.ebay.be/SCOTTISH-BATTLE-BALLADS-Alastair-McDonald-1973-LP-EX_W0QQitemZ4799716714QQcategoryZ1075QQcmdZViewIte m

Kenn
18-Oct-06, 01:49
Lovely poem AC but where did ye learn or find it?

pultneytooner
18-Oct-06, 13:29
I have been looking for this for a long time, Cheers AC.:D

acameron
18-Oct-06, 14:03
Lovely poem AC but where did ye learn or find it?

I didnt learn it, I did a wee bit of googling and I found it on a site posted by the man who wrote it - but it is a good and sad story about the clearances.