The Scottish Breakaway
Track Information
Original Track ID
SA1960.245.A5
Original Tape ID
Summary
Satirical Scottish republican song mocking the British royal family for the events surrounding the relationships of Princess Margaret, who was not allowed to marry [Captain] Peter Townshend. Its chorus complains about the naming of Queen Elizabeth as Elizabeth II, as there has never been an Elizabeth I of Scotland.
Item Notes
5 verses with chorus after each, with guitar accompaniment and singing along by the company. Written by Thurso Berwick (pseudonym of Morris Blythman, Glasgow schoolteacher), and first published in 'The Rebels Ceilidh Song Book' (Bo'ness Rebels Literary Society, c. 1951, p. 23). Further topical verses seem to have been added at various points, with a longer version in the 1963 edition (there were many editions of the song book). Sung (quite deliberately given its controversial nature) to the tune of 'The Sash'.
See also:
'The People's Past' (ed. E. J. Cowan, 1980) pp. 175-176
Item Subject/Person
Queen Elizabeth II; Princess Margaret
Recording Location
County - Midlothian
Parish - Edinburgh
Village/Place - Edinburgh
Language
Scots
Genre
Collection
Source Type
Reel to reel
Audio Quality
Good