Song of the Clyde
Encyclopedia
The Song of the Clyde is a song
by R.Y. Bell and Ian Gourley.
Popularised by Kenneth McKellar (singer)
(although covered by various Scottish singers) it is an affectionate tribute to the River Clyde
in Scotland
, name-checking the majority of towns and villages on its banks. Although its opening verse includes the line From Glasgow
to Greenock
with towns on each side, the song includes references to Lanark
so fair on the river's upper reaches and Arran
on the Firth of Clyde
's southernmost outflow. The penultimate verse is a tongue twister meant to be sung in Glasgow vernacular
.
The song (McKellar's version) was used on the opening credits of the 1963 film Billy Liar
and at the opening of Radio Clyde
in 1973.
In a British House of Commons
debate in 1994, Labour
Member of Parliament Jimmy Hood
(Clydesdale
) recalled the song in a debate about coal mining
, however refrained from acceding to members' requests that he sing it.
It was once parodied by Stanley Baxter
, who played "Kenneth McColour" singing "The Pong of the Clyde".
side Clyde F.C.
play Song of the Clyde before the team runs out onto the pitch, though this version has different lyrics. The lyrics were written by local singer Fraser Bruce. The club, originally based in Glasgow
, are named after the river.
The lyrics for Clyde's version of the song are:
I sing of a team that fills me with pride
The name of the team is the Bully Wee Clyde
Of all Scottish teams they are dearest tae me
They've won everywhere frae Dumfries
tae Dundee
They've beaten the Celtic
, The Hibs
and the Hearts
The Rangers
and Thistle
, they've swept frae the park
So come down tae Shawfield
/Broadwood
*, you'll know I've not lied
When I tell you the greatest of teams is the CLYDE.
Chorus
Oh The Clyde, The Clyde, the Bully Wee Clyde
The name of them thrills me and fills me with pride
And I'm satisfied what e'er may betide
The greatest of teams is the Bully Wee Clyde.
I'll be doon at Shawfield
/Broadwood
* come hail or come shine
Supporting the team I will always call mine
Whether winning or losing, if up or if down
You'll still hear me shouting all over the town
I'll follow them East and I'll follow them West
Tae the North or the South still its "my teams the best"
So come down tae Shawfield
/Broadwood
* you'll know I've not lied
When I tell you the greatest of teams is the Clyde.
Chorus
The year we first started, Eighteen Seventy Eight
Little did they know that we'd soon become great
All over the country we'd spread far and wide
The name and the colours o' the Bully Wee Clyde
we've taken some glory, been down and been up
Three times we have taken oor ain Scottish Cup
There's no one can tell what the future will be
But as lang as I live it will be Clyde for me.
Brown, Kirk and Hickie, Beaton, Falloon, Weir
Robertson, Noble, Martin, Wallace, Gillies
Was the team that won the cup
in 39
And how they did thrill us
Hewkins, Murphy
, Haddock
, Granville, Anderson
Then there was Davie Laing
Divers
, Robertson
, Hill
, Brown
and Ring
And in 55
they did the same
McCulloch, Murphy
, Haddock
, Walters, Finlay, Clinton, Herd,
Currie, Robbie
, Ring
With a Coyle
goal in 58
Did the very same thing
So Shawfield Park
/Broadwood Park
* to every Jean and Jock
Extends a welcome that is far and wide
Lets join in the song
Of the Bully Wee Clyde
Chorus
The lyrics included Shawfield Stadium
at the time when the lyrics were first written in the 1970s. When the song was re-recorded in 2001, Shawfield was replaced with Broadwood, Clyde's new stadium.
Song
In music, a song is a composition for voice or voices, performed by singing.A song may be accompanied by musical instruments, or it may be unaccompanied, as in the case of a cappella songs...
by R.Y. Bell and Ian Gourley.
Popularised by Kenneth McKellar (singer)
Kenneth McKellar (singer)
Kenneth McKellar was a Scottish tenor.-Career:McKellar studied forestry at the University of Aberdeen, after graduation working for the Scottish Forestry Commission. He later trained at the Royal College of Music as an opera singer...
(although covered by various Scottish singers) it is an affectionate tribute to the River Clyde
River Clyde
The River Clyde is a major river in Scotland. It is the ninth longest river in the United Kingdom, and the third longest in Scotland. Flowing through the major city of Glasgow, it was an important river for shipbuilding and trade in the British Empire....
in Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
, name-checking the majority of towns and villages on its banks. Although its opening verse includes the line From Glasgow
Glasgow
Glasgow is the largest city in Scotland and third most populous in the United Kingdom. The city is situated on the River Clyde in the country's west central lowlands...
to Greenock
Greenock
Greenock is a town and administrative centre in the Inverclyde council area in United Kingdom, and a former burgh within the historic county of Renfrewshire, located in the west central Lowlands of Scotland...
with towns on each side, the song includes references to Lanark
Lanark
Lanark is a small town in the central belt of Scotland. Its population of 8,253 makes it the 100th largest settlement in Scotland. The name is believed to come from the Cumbric Lanerc meaning "clear space, glade"....
so fair on the river's upper reaches and Arran
Isle of Arran
Arran or the Isle of Arran is the largest island in the Firth of Clyde, Scotland, and with an area of is the seventh largest Scottish island. It is in the unitary council area of North Ayrshire and the 2001 census had a resident population of 5,058...
on the Firth of Clyde
Firth of Clyde
The Firth of Clyde forms a large area of coastal water, sheltered from the Atlantic Ocean by the Kintyre peninsula which encloses the outer firth in Argyll and Ayrshire, Scotland. The Kilbrannan Sound is a large arm of the Firth of Clyde, separating the Kintyre Peninsula from the Isle of Arran.At...
's southernmost outflow. The penultimate verse is a tongue twister meant to be sung in Glasgow vernacular
Vernacular
A vernacular is the native language or native dialect of a specific population, as opposed to a language of wider communication that is not native to the population, such as a national language or lingua franca.- Etymology :The term is not a recent one...
.
The song (McKellar's version) was used on the opening credits of the 1963 film Billy Liar
Billy Liar (film)
Billy Liar is a 1963 film based on the novel by Keith Waterhouse. It was directed by John Schlesinger and stars Tom Courtenay as Billy and Julie Christie as Liz, one of his three girlfriends. Mona Washbourne plays Mrs. Fisher, and Wilfred Pickles played Mr. Fisher...
and at the opening of Radio Clyde
Radio Clyde
Radio Clyde is a division of Bauer Radio based in Glasgow, Scotland. They currently operate an FM station and an AM station from studios in Clydebank West Dunbartonshire.- History :...
in 1973.
In a British House of Commons
British House of Commons
The House of Commons is the lower house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom, which also comprises the Sovereign and the House of Lords . Both Commons and Lords meet in the Palace of Westminster. The Commons is a democratically elected body, consisting of 650 members , who are known as Members...
debate in 1994, Labour
Labour Party (UK)
The Labour Party is a centre-left democratic socialist party in the United Kingdom. It surpassed the Liberal Party in general elections during the early 1920s, forming minority governments under Ramsay MacDonald in 1924 and 1929-1931. The party was in a wartime coalition from 1940 to 1945, after...
Member of Parliament Jimmy Hood
Jimmy Hood
James "Jimmy" Hood is a British Labour Party politician, who has been the Member of Parliament for Lanark and Hamilton East since 2005...
(Clydesdale
Clydesdale (UK Parliament constituency)
Clydesdale was a county constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom from 1983 until 2005, when it was redistributed to Dumfriesshire, Clydesdale & Tweeddale, Lanark & Hamilton East and East Kilbride, Strathaven & Lesmahagow as part of a major...
) recalled the song in a debate about coal mining
Coal mining
The goal of coal mining is to obtain coal from the ground. Coal is valued for its energy content, and since the 1880s has been widely used to generate electricity. Steel and cement industries use coal as a fuel for extraction of iron from iron ore and for cement production. In the United States,...
, however refrained from acceding to members' requests that he sing it.
It was once parodied by Stanley Baxter
Stanley Baxter
Stanley Baxter is a Scottish comic actor and impressionist, best known for his British television shows. He worked in radio, theatre, television and film.-Early life:...
, who played "Kenneth McColour" singing "The Pong of the Clyde".
Clyde FC
Scottish Football LeagueScottish Football League
The Scottish Football League is a league of football teams in Scotland, comprising theScottish First Division, Scottish Second Division and Scottish Third Division. From the league's foundation in 1890 until the breakaway Scottish Premier League was formed in 1998, the Scottish Football League...
side Clyde F.C.
Clyde F.C.
Clyde Football Club are a Scottish professional football team currently playing in the Third Division of the Scottish Football League. Although based for the last fifteen years in the new town of Cumbernauld, they are traditionally associated with an area that covers Rutherglen in South...
play Song of the Clyde before the team runs out onto the pitch, though this version has different lyrics. The lyrics were written by local singer Fraser Bruce. The club, originally based in Glasgow
Glasgow
Glasgow is the largest city in Scotland and third most populous in the United Kingdom. The city is situated on the River Clyde in the country's west central lowlands...
, are named after the river.
The lyrics for Clyde's version of the song are:
I sing of a team that fills me with pride
The name of the team is the Bully Wee Clyde
Clyde F.C.
Clyde Football Club are a Scottish professional football team currently playing in the Third Division of the Scottish Football League. Although based for the last fifteen years in the new town of Cumbernauld, they are traditionally associated with an area that covers Rutherglen in South...
Of all Scottish teams they are dearest tae me
They've won everywhere frae Dumfries
Dumfries
Dumfries is a market town and former royal burgh within the Dumfries and Galloway council area of Scotland. It is near the mouth of the River Nith into the Solway Firth. Dumfries was the county town of the former county of Dumfriesshire. Dumfries is nicknamed Queen of the South...
tae Dundee
Dundee
Dundee is the fourth-largest city in Scotland and the 39th most populous settlement in the United Kingdom. It lies within the eastern central Lowlands on the north bank of the Firth of Tay, which feeds into the North Sea...
They've beaten the Celtic
Celtic F.C.
Celtic Football Club is a Scottish football club based in the Parkhead area of Glasgow, which currently plays in the Scottish Premier League. The club was established in 1887, and played its first game in 1888. Celtic have won the Scottish League Championship on 42 occasions, most recently in the...
, The Hibs
Hibernian F.C.
Hibernian Football Club are a Scottish professional football club based in Leith, in the north of Edinburgh. They are one of two Scottish Premier League clubs in the city, the other being their Edinburgh derby rivals, Hearts...
and the Hearts
Heart of Midlothian F.C.
Heart of Midlothian Football Club are a Scottish professional football club based in Gorgie, in the west of Edinburgh. They currently play in the Scottish Premier League and are one of the two principal clubs in the city, the other being Hibernian...
The Rangers
Rangers F.C.
Rangers Football Club are an association football club based in Glasgow, Scotland, who play in the Scottish Premier League. The club are nicknamed the Gers, Teddy Bears and the Light Blues, and the fans are known to each other as bluenoses...
and Thistle
Partick Thistle F.C.
Partick Thistle Football Club are a professional association football club from Glasgow. Despite their name, the club are based in the Maryhill area of the city, and have not played in Partick since 1908...
, they've swept frae the park
So come down tae Shawfield
Shawfield Stadium
Shawfield Stadium is a greyhound racing venue in the town of Rutherglen, South Lanarkshire, Scotland, located close to the boundary with Glasgow. It has also previously been a regular venue for football and speedway, as home to Clyde F.C. and the Glasgow Tigers respectively...
/Broadwood
Broadwood Stadium
Broadwood Stadium, also referred to as simply Broadwood, is a football stadium and multi-use community sports complex situated in Cumbernauld, North Lanarkshire, Scotland. The stadium was opened in 1994 and since then has been the home venue of Scottish Third Division side, Clyde F.C....
*, you'll know I've not lied
When I tell you the greatest of teams is the CLYDE.
Chorus
Oh The Clyde, The Clyde, the Bully Wee Clyde
The name of them thrills me and fills me with pride
And I'm satisfied what e'er may betide
The greatest of teams is the Bully Wee Clyde.
I'll be doon at Shawfield
Shawfield Stadium
Shawfield Stadium is a greyhound racing venue in the town of Rutherglen, South Lanarkshire, Scotland, located close to the boundary with Glasgow. It has also previously been a regular venue for football and speedway, as home to Clyde F.C. and the Glasgow Tigers respectively...
/Broadwood
Broadwood Stadium
Broadwood Stadium, also referred to as simply Broadwood, is a football stadium and multi-use community sports complex situated in Cumbernauld, North Lanarkshire, Scotland. The stadium was opened in 1994 and since then has been the home venue of Scottish Third Division side, Clyde F.C....
* come hail or come shine
Supporting the team I will always call mine
Whether winning or losing, if up or if down
You'll still hear me shouting all over the town
I'll follow them East and I'll follow them West
Tae the North or the South still its "my teams the best"
So come down tae Shawfield
Shawfield Stadium
Shawfield Stadium is a greyhound racing venue in the town of Rutherglen, South Lanarkshire, Scotland, located close to the boundary with Glasgow. It has also previously been a regular venue for football and speedway, as home to Clyde F.C. and the Glasgow Tigers respectively...
/Broadwood
Broadwood Stadium
Broadwood Stadium, also referred to as simply Broadwood, is a football stadium and multi-use community sports complex situated in Cumbernauld, North Lanarkshire, Scotland. The stadium was opened in 1994 and since then has been the home venue of Scottish Third Division side, Clyde F.C....
* you'll know I've not lied
When I tell you the greatest of teams is the Clyde.
Chorus
The year we first started, Eighteen Seventy Eight
Little did they know that we'd soon become great
All over the country we'd spread far and wide
The name and the colours o' the Bully Wee Clyde
we've taken some glory, been down and been up
Three times we have taken oor ain Scottish Cup
There's no one can tell what the future will be
But as lang as I live it will be Clyde for me.
Brown, Kirk and Hickie, Beaton, Falloon, Weir
Ned Weir
Ned Weir was an Irish footballer who played for several clubs in the Scottish Football League. Weir was also a dual Irish international and played for both Ireland teams - the IFA XI and the FAI XI...
Robertson, Noble, Martin, Wallace, Gillies
Was the team that won the cup
Scottish Cup
The Scottish Football Association Challenge Cup,, commonly known as the Scottish Cup or the William Hill Scottish Cup for sponsorship purposes, is the main national cup competition in Scottish football. It is a knockout cup competition run by and named after the Scottish Football Association.The...
in 39
Scottish Cup 1938-39
The 1938–39 Scottish Cup was the 61st staging of Scotland's most prestigious football knockout competition. The Cup was won by Clyde who defeated Motherwell in the final.-First round:-Replays:-Second round:-Replays:-Third round:-Replays:...
And how they did thrill us
Hewkins, Murphy
Albie Murphy
Albert "Albie" Murphy was an Irish former professional football player.He joined Clyde in Scotland from Transport in 1949 before returning to Shamrock Rovers in 1951...
, Haddock
Harry Haddock
Henry "Harry" Haddock was a Scottish footballer who spent almost his entire career with Clyde. He was also selected in the Scotland squad for the 1958 FIFA World Cup....
, Granville, Anderson
Then there was Davie Laing
Davie Laing
David "Davie" Laing is a former Scottish footballer.He played for Hearts for 8 years before transferring to Clyde, where he won the 1955 Scottish Cup. He later played for Hibernian and Gillingham.-External links:*...
Divers
John Divers (footballer born 1931)
John Divers was a Scottish footballer.Divers was born in Glasgow and began his career with junior side Ashfield, before transferring to Clyde. He stayed there for 3 years, and he won the 1955 Scottish Cup. He later played for Exeter City and East Stirlingshire.- External links :*...
, Robertson
Archie Robertson (footballer)
Archibald "Archie" Clark Robertson was a Scottish footballer who spent most of his career with Clyde, firstly as an inside right and latterly as manager....
, Hill
Ally Hill
Ally Hill is a former Scottish footballer. He won the 1955 Scottish Cup with Clyde.- References :*, Post War English & Scottish Football League A - Z Player's Database...
, Brown
George Brown (footballer born 1928)
George Brown is a former Scottish footballer. He won the 1955 Scottish Cup with Clyde. He was born in Airdrie.Died 22nd October 2011 survived by his wife Maureen and family. Funeral service from Coatdyke Congregational Church to Glenmavis Cemetery, North Lanarkshire.-References:*, Post War...
and Ring
Tommy Ring
Thomas "Tommy" Ring was a Scottish footballer who played for Ashfield, Clyde, Everton, Barnsley, Aberdeen, Fraserburgh, Stevenage Town and the Scotland national team....
And in 55
Scottish Cup 1954-55
The 1954–55 Scottish Cup was the 70th staging of Scotland's most prestigious football knockout competition. The Cup was won by Clyde who defeated Celtic in the replayed final...
they did the same
McCulloch, Murphy
Albie Murphy
Albert "Albie" Murphy was an Irish former professional football player.He joined Clyde in Scotland from Transport in 1949 before returning to Shamrock Rovers in 1951...
, Haddock
Harry Haddock
Henry "Harry" Haddock was a Scottish footballer who spent almost his entire career with Clyde. He was also selected in the Scotland squad for the 1958 FIFA World Cup....
, Walters, Finlay, Clinton, Herd,
Currie, Robbie
Archie Robertson (footballer)
Archibald "Archie" Clark Robertson was a Scottish footballer who spent most of his career with Clyde, firstly as an inside right and latterly as manager....
, Ring
Tommy Ring
Thomas "Tommy" Ring was a Scottish footballer who played for Ashfield, Clyde, Everton, Barnsley, Aberdeen, Fraserburgh, Stevenage Town and the Scotland national team....
With a Coyle
John Coyle
John C. Coyle is a former Scottish footballer.Coyle started his career with Dundee United for whom he signed in 1950. His early years were interrupted by his National Service, while he also spent time on loan to Brechin City. As a result, by the beginning of the 1955-56 season he had made only 8...
goal in 58
Scottish Cup 1957-58
The 1957-58 Scottish Cup was the 73rd staging of Scotland's most prestigious football knockout competition. The Cup was won by Clyde who defeated Hibernian in the final.-First round:-Replays:-Second round:-Replays:-Third round:-Replays:...
Did the very same thing
So Shawfield Park
Shawfield Stadium
Shawfield Stadium is a greyhound racing venue in the town of Rutherglen, South Lanarkshire, Scotland, located close to the boundary with Glasgow. It has also previously been a regular venue for football and speedway, as home to Clyde F.C. and the Glasgow Tigers respectively...
/Broadwood Park
Broadwood Stadium
Broadwood Stadium, also referred to as simply Broadwood, is a football stadium and multi-use community sports complex situated in Cumbernauld, North Lanarkshire, Scotland. The stadium was opened in 1994 and since then has been the home venue of Scottish Third Division side, Clyde F.C....
* to every Jean and Jock
Extends a welcome that is far and wide
Lets join in the song
Of the Bully Wee Clyde
Chorus
The lyrics included Shawfield Stadium
Shawfield Stadium
Shawfield Stadium is a greyhound racing venue in the town of Rutherglen, South Lanarkshire, Scotland, located close to the boundary with Glasgow. It has also previously been a regular venue for football and speedway, as home to Clyde F.C. and the Glasgow Tigers respectively...
at the time when the lyrics were first written in the 1970s. When the song was re-recorded in 2001, Shawfield was replaced with Broadwood, Clyde's new stadium.