The Eskimo Republic
Scots political folk song in action
1951 to 1999

Nations Rise That Yince Were Doon

Now fortune’s wheel it is birlin roon an nations rise that yince were doon
So it’s time tae sing a rebel tune for the Eskimo Republic
Where there is nae class, there is nae boss, nae kings nor queens, an damn the loss
An ye get boozed up for a six months doss in the Eskimo Republic

Scots folk song has always included a stinging dose of fervent political protest and social comment, but from 1951 on the dosage has increased and become more scouring and scourging in its intent and effect. Socialists and supporters of independence sing about living in peace with self-determination and protesting against injustice, while right wing wielders of power sing songs that seek to justify and defend their privileges.
The song ‘The Eskimo Republic’ was made in the 1960s by poet Morris Blythman, a extension of an idea adopted by 1961 Scottish peace protesters that the then termed Eskimos, now Inuit, have never been involved in warfare though living in several Northern countries, on both sides of the ‘Cold War’. The lyric holds many of the elements that typified Scottish political folk song during the Scottish Folk Revival that began in the late 1950s and has now spread wide its influence musically and socially as its primary thrust of action loses impetus. Aspects of the Eskimo lyric include independence, republican socialism, the Scots Leid, humour, warfare, anti-nuclear weapons, enjoyment of alcohol, a vigorous tune, and applying the mirror of history to the maker's priorities. The tune Blythman selected for his song shows Scots makers' continuing reference back to and mining of older songs. ‘Loch Errochside’ was also used by Burns for a song about a wandering warbling woodlark, not one of his best, and by Lady Caroline Nairne for a wooing song, ‘The Lass of Gowrie’.
This website was first a book written by me, Ewan McVicar, and published by my Gallus imprint. Later it looks at Scotland's pre-1951 antecedents in political song, but first discusses key 1951-1999 songs, song-makers, singers and organisers, and gives many examples of the short-lived political comment and 'agit-prop' songs that were made and discarded. It investigates the period through first-hand accounts based on new interviews with the activists, and it considers the characteristics of humour, energy, and commitment that distinguish the songs, the use of older Scots song and of Scots language whether older vernacular or literary Lallans or modern urban, and the role of tunes, old, new and copyright, in the song-making.
The Scots trait of engaging in robust and at times irreverent political discussion and action periodically expresses itself in song. These songs stimulate and support action, articulate the issues and principles espoused, particularise, sloganise and at times sentimentalise. One period of song-based action, the Jacobite song aftermath of the 1745 Rising, led to the egalitarian songs of Burns.

17th and 18th Century Scottish political songs
Arise now my country and hail reformation, arise and demand now the rights of our nation
Behold your oppressors shall meet the desolation that marked the brave victims on Dark Bonnymuir
Dark Bonnymuir, 1820s broadside
Carle, an’ the King come, carle, an’ the King come
Thou shalt dance and I shall sing, Carle, an’ the King come
17th Century song
An somebodie were come again, then somebodie maun cross the main
And every man shall hae his ain, Carle, an the King come
18th Century Jacobite version
Sawney, now the king’s come
Kneel and kiss his gracious ---, Sawney, now the king’s come
19th Century version

Another period, the 1951 poetic expressions of pleasure at the Lifting of the Stone of Destiny, resulted in a sequence of song-supported actions on the issues of independence and republicanism, freedom from nuclear weaponry, opposition to the Poll Tax and the First Gulf War, and other linked causes, exemplified in the ‘Eskimo Republic’ concept of a Scottish nation of peace and equality.
The term Scottish Political Song is a loose one, which can encompass protest, political comment, social comment, social history and narrative that supports a political stance. Some characteristic elements are that it is ephemeral, lyric based, exploitative of tunes, and uses humour as a weapon.
Ingredients of political song can be the urging of action against social and political injustice, approval for and support of warfare both internal and international, appeals for peace or for defence of the status quo, the joys of drink, the lessons of history, the concerns and complaints of labour, radicalism, socialism, republicanism, independence - all expressed through the medium of sung poetry in support of political and social action. Much Scottish political song is ephemeral. Nearly all political song is ephemeral, living only while it has direct and immediate relevance and is being sung by the creator individual and the surrounding group who identify with and adopt the song. But then the same kind of active life limitation is true of nearly all poetry ever published. Consider how little of the work of even the great poets is still read for other than academic purposes. As always, Robert Burns is our touchstone. Look through a collection of his work, and identify how many pieces, or rather how few, you recognise. And the effusions of our many lesser poets, neatly bound at the maker's expense, are to be found in cosy rows in the reference sections of our libraries. Open one up, and smell the must.
Scottish political song is lyric based and exploitative of existing tunes. Political song is very much a matter of lyric content. New tunes are seldom employed. Up until very recent times, in both the Scots and the Gaelic traditions, the creation of Scottish song has been the creation of lyrics. Neither Robert Burns, Hamish Henderson nor Morris Blythman composed a single tune, though they and many others trawled deeply for the airs, marches and dance tunes they used, and they then freely amended melody, tempo and rhythmic feel. On occasion parodies or new songs are written using the tune of a song of political comment that had itself employed an air created for other purposes. ‘Parody’ does not necessarily mean the employment of humour, but Scots political song uses humour, satiric or broad or sly or subtle, more often than English or Irish political song does.
Examination of Scottish political song begins with the old anonymous ballads that tell of battles and strife between the Scots and English, or internally in the Borders and the Highlands. Then comes the welter of songs occasioned by James 7th and 2nd being ejected from the British throne, and the successive attempts to restore the Stuart dynasty.
Once there was little chance of the Stuarts making it back onto the British throne a great manufactory of Jacobite songs arose. James Hogg was perhaps the finest and most prolific collector and creator of such, while Lady Caroline Nairne created some new songs and skilfully softened and emasculated some of the old songs.
Burns also collected and published and sometimes polished old songs, which were then labelled his wholecloth creations by some of his worshippers. His own political songmaking began with Jacobite songs, he moved on in the 1790s to hackpenny election ballads and to the expression of republican sentiments, then in order to avoid deportation to Australia’s rocky shores he had to recant in public song. But though he wrote, "Who will not sing ‘God Save The King’ shall hang as high as the steeple," he followed that with, "But while we sing ‘God Save The King’ we’ll ne’er forget THE PEOPLE!"
The developing radicalism of Thomas Muir and the United Scotsmen, through the 1820 Radical War and the organising of industrial labour can be fitfully traced through songs of the time.
Surprisingly little political Scots song from Chartist times can be found. Indeed, except for the radical weaver poets and occasional broadside protests about urban working conditions, the field is fairly unfruitful pretty well up to and past World War One. True, ‘The Red Flag’ was set to a Scots Jacobite tune, ‘The White Cockade’, by Irishman James Connell in 1889 – years later the lyric was shifted to the ponderous German tune ‘Tannenbaum’.
The Spanish Civil War brought songs like Alex McDaid’s proud song for the International Brigade, ‘Jarama Valley’, and Ewan MacColl’s reworking of the Peninsular War lament for ‘Jamie Foyers’.
Some of the Ballads of World War Two were collected together and published pseudonymously by Hamish Henderson, who had a hand in the creation of some of the best. Henderson’s ‘John Maclean March’ in 1948 was a political song of poetic weight that heralded the Scottish Folk Revival of the 50s and 60s.
As well as songs that explicitly protest, demand or criticise, Scotland has a fine heritage of social comment songs. Themes include criticism of bad employers and poor working conditions, complaints about the excesses and abuses of privilege of the powerful, complaints about unemployment, support for trade unionism, social organisation and teetotalism, and songs about army life.

A Radical 19th Century song
Glass after glass we’d often pass and make the rafters ring
With roaring toasts for Radicals and songs that traitors sing
We gave the Queen, but drank the toast that laughed that she might be
And pray’d that she might ne’er have peace till Britons all were free
And thus we ranted to the crowd with pleasant wordy show
In the days when we were Radicals, a short time ago
tune In the Days When We Went Gypsying, words Edward Polin, from ‘Radical Renfrew’

The collection ‘Radical Renfrew’, works of the Radical weaver poets of Renfrewshire edited by Tom Leonard, is presented as poetry, but the lyrics are often set to specified traditional tunes. There is a rich seam of Scottish coalminers’ songs; a few of the best lyrics were made by Fife’s Joe Corrie. Mary Brooksbank’s songs of work in the Dundee jute mills are still celebrated and sung. The earlier Bothy Ballads of the North-East are almost invariably crisp and direct in their complaints about grasping and unfair farmers. Are they political songs?
Songs can live on as accounts of social history and supportive narrative, after they have outlived their function as protest or comment on current conditions. Such lyrics tend to have an extra spark of poetry, graphic example or energy, and be utilised for the complaint of, "And they’re just like that still!" Further, at social gatherings of politically active groups the performance with audience participation of such ‘non-current’ songs functions as an expression of shared social identity, history and values.
There is a string of such Scots songs, from ‘Such A Parcel Of Rogues In A Nation’ to ‘Maggie’s Waddin’, from ‘Wee Magic Stane’ to ‘Maggie’s Pit Ponies’, from ‘Jamie Foyers’ to ‘Don’t You Go My Son’. When first made they were trenchant comment, now they are sung as nostalgic narrative.

Protests ancient and modern
Fareweel to aa our Scottish fame, fareweel our ancient glory
Fareweel ev’n to the Scottish name sae famed in martial story
Now Sark rins over Solway Sands, and Tweed rins to the ocean
To mark where England’s province stands, Such a parcel of rogues in a nation
Such A Parcel Of Rogues, possibly by Robert Burns

Sing a song o tax an woe, empty pooches in a row
The Chancellor’s collectin dough aa for Maggie’s Waddin
Silk an satin, gold lame, Tony weirs a lum hat tae
Ma suit’s in the pawn, sae whit’ll ah dae, at the Royal Waddin?
Maggie’s Waddin, Tune Mhairi’s Wedding, words Jim MacLean

Is political song only a product of the left? Of course not. The Jacobites were hardly leftwingers, and Hogg printed a couple of dozen Whig anti-Jacobite ditties. For each bothy ballad that belabours the farmers there is a sylvan ballad on the joys of country life and a sentimental ditty advising peace, harmony and social drunkenness.
True, the songs that are badges of the Right are often less politically or socially explicit. Is ‘Keep Right On To The End Of The Road’, sung by Harry Lauder to support the WW1 troops, not a political song? Is ‘It’s A Long Way To Tipperary’? Is ‘Flower Of Scotland’ left wing? Or ‘Erin Go Bragh’?
What song which comments critically on the working life and the social viewpoint of people is not political song in some sense? How about the viciously anti-Catholic or anti-Protestant (and the viciously racist) songs which disfigure football terraces?
When considering political songs I will consider where and when they were sung, the makers, disseminators, performers, documentors and preservers of them, and the printed and recorded sources available to me.
I have when I worked on the book now presented in this format developed my own working terms, limits and exclusions. They are intended to be instructive rather than prescriptive. Here are some.
Protest usually includes open support for some specific group’s position, whether political grouping, group of people met together to march or talk, work group or category. Protest song can be action lyric or illustrative lyric, dealing with the here and now rather than in retrospection.
In more general political song the lyric can be action-based, illustrative, retrospective or supportive.
The protest action lyric is an 'agit-prop' simple lyric protesting re the effects or consequences of current action or the position of government or powerful figures, including demands for alternative action. More general action-based lyrics suggest as well as demand alternative action positions, and articulate positions re wider issues.
The protest illustrative lyric has narrative accounts of events and people, and is employed to illustrate issues and support the need for preferred options and actions. More general illustrative lyrics are accounts of events, actions, situations and consequences that are considered and used by wider groupings of politically committed or like minded people or groups as illustrative of their identity, critical position, or recommended alternative actions or values.
Retrospective lyrics tell of past historical events or beliefs or values, expressing what the writer believes to be the political and protest positions and responses of that time, in archaic or modern language, for the purpose of supporting and urging action to change attitudes, values and actions in the writer's own timeSupportive lyrics are accounts of events or prescriptive statements that are not allied to any specific group, but can be used by a group or individual as an example statement that articulates an element of one’s political stance, as a support and justification for one’s stance and actions, in helping justify the need for actions, or as a social entertainment used at the end of political meetings or in concerts supporting political or social causes or campaigns.
Themes of identity and the need for action run through this topic. Also, richness of Scots language, both poetic and urban, is important for reinforcing one’s sense of identity when in confrontation with a ruling elite and media who increasingly do not employ these. But always there is conflict in song as in politics. The Whigs and the Tories, the Radicals and the anti-Democrats, the Conservatives and the Socialists, all express confrontation and comment through songs.
There is a problem of structure and sequence when discussing political song. A historical sequence based on datable events rather than dates of composition might begin with ‘Scots Wha Hae’, as its stated topic is the Battle of Bannockburn in 1314, or since there is said to be written evidence of use rather than oral tradition only, one could begin with the tune's use as a march by the Scots soldiers of Joan of Arc in 1429. A sequence based on political themes intended by Burns would place ‘Scots Wha Hae’ in the late 18th Century, and a sequence based on who used the song politically and why would have to consider Scottish groupings and political actions from the time of the song's making, through quotations appearing on banners in the 19th Century, right up till yesterday.
One could trace ‘Scots Wha Hae’ through its appearances in print, from its first anonymous publication in London's Morning Chronicle on 19th May 1794 through many dozens of poetry and song collections, and consider what lyric company it is given by editors and why.
Non-Scots comment on the dual importance of sung and printed versions of Scottish songs. In ‘Folk Song In England’ A L Lloyd says, "No doubt, the influence of printed collections has been greater on Scottish singers than on English, because Scottish collections have been abundant over a longer period, and have circulated widely in a land where villagers, crofters and farm-hands have long been busy readers." In 1951 American folklorist Alan Lomax commented: "The Scots have the liveliest folk tradition of the British Isles, and paradoxically, it is also the most bookish…. Everywhere in Scotland I collected songs of written or literary origin from country singers; at the same time I constantly encountered learned Scotsmen who knew traditional versions of the great folk songs."
This website considers not only Scots political songs sung in Scotland, but links with political songs of Ireland, the USA, England and other lands. While my major focus is on songs newly minted and used politically in the period from 1951 on, I also give accounts of the types of earlier songs that were drawn on in the Revival – warfare and strife, old ballads, songs of national and local politics, and songs of work and unemployment and poverty – particularly those songs that entered into the shared sung repertoire in the Scots Folk Song Revival.
‘Revival’ suggests rescue from near death, used for want of a word that communicated the ideas of discovery, phoenix-like renewal and revitalisation. In political song-making, the new grows from the old.
When an Eskimo sings an Eski sang
He gies it the real auld Eski twang
An his favourite wan is ‘I belang
Tae the Eskimo Republic’

More political song verses

O the Thistle o Scotland was famous of old, wi its toorie sae snod and its bristles sae bauld
Tis the Badge o my Country, it’s aye dear tae me, and thocht o them baith brings the licht tae ma ee
The Thistle of Scotland, As sung by Willie Main

Lang afore the Poles and Rumanians, the Czechoslovaks or Bulgarians
We led the workers tae victoree, we up and nationalised the Govan Ferree
The Labour Provost, tune The White Cockade, words Iain Nicolson

To the Lords of Convention twas Claverhouse spoke, “Ere the King’s crown go down there are crowns to be broke
"So let each cavalier who loves honour and me, let him follow the bonnets o Bonnie Dundee”
Bonny Dundee, tune The Band at a Distance, words Sir Walter Scott

Wee Prince Chairlie’s a lucky laddie, he’s got a daddy and a mammy
Disna see the approachin rammy, lucky wee Prince Chairlie
Wee Prince Chairlie, tune O Ro Se, words Thurso Berwick

So while our anger burns for those oppressed by Uncle Sam, John Bull and all the rest
Remember in these Islands, in the Lowlands and the Highlands
There are nations that we only hold in jest, workers of the World
Tune and words Jim McLean

AND
The Roots of Scots Political Song

This website republishes Ewan McVicar's 2010 Gallus Publications book 'The Eskimo Republic', adding many images and song tracks.
Interviewees include Jim McLean, Dolina MacLennan, Ian McCalman, Marion Blythman, Ian Davison, Eric Bogle, Alistair Hulett, Billy Wolfe, Jim Kelman, John Powles, Geordie McIntyre, Fiona Hyslop MSP, Archie Fisher, Rab Noakes, John Greig, Cathie Peattie MSP, Rob Gibson MSP, Sheila Douglas, Hugh MacDonald, Nancy Nicolson, David Campbell, Peggy Seeger, Stuart McHardy, Danny Couper, Donald Smith, Eileen Penman, Ronnie Clark, Ian Walker, Anne Neilson.

Keen to hear from you, but if you are writing to complain that the term Eskimo is not now acceptable usage, I know but I am writing about what happened in the 1960s.