From the Ross Sinclair solo album,' I Tried to Give Up Drinking with Guitars instead of God', his first proper album, since 'This is our Art', the first Soup Dragons album in 1988 and the first where he has written, performed and recorded all the material himself.

ORKNEY SONG

In the cemetery at Warbeth, outside Stromness I saw a large square monument with Ross on one side and Sinclair on its adjoining face. If that's not an advance booking I don't know what is. This song is Mash-up of 35 years of memories of going up to Orkney and various friends and family, parents and grandparents who live(d) there. Stromness is the only place on earth you can walk down the main street and see a bunch of shops called Sinclair's this and Sinclair's that -- it kind of makes you feel at home. This song helpfully tells you how to get there from 'doon sooth' too.

This is a song of Orkney
Stuck on the Brough of Birsay
My Dad -- he lives in Kirkwall
We don't hold that against him
This is a song of Orkney
Gaboo was born at Rackwick
Now owned by Maxwell-Davies
He wrote a song but not like this

Brough of Birsay, Bay of Skaill,
Skara Brae, Rackwick Bay
Ring of Brodgar Standing Stones
Let's pack up we're going home
Up the A9 Inverness, Cessock Bridge, Black Isle next
Invergordon, Dornoch Firth, Golspie, Brora, Helmsdale next
Up and down at Berriedale -- left at Latheron -- you can't fail
Thurso, Scrabster -- get the ferry
You're in Stromness nice and early
Old Man of Hoy -- walked for hours with Gracie on my back
Graveyard at Warbeth -- it beckons
Or maybe Birsay -- Sea at your back

This is a song of Orkney
William -- he runs the Merlin
Partons he catches in creels
Dog whelks and Lobsters are revealed
This is a song of Orkney
Show at the Pier Arts Centre
Andrew and Neil still work there
Shona and Mary are their wives
Brough of Birsay, Bay of Skaill,
Skara Brae, Rackwick Bay
Ring of Brodgar Standing Stones
Let's pack up we're going home
Up the A9 Inverness, Cessock Bridge, Black isle next
Invergordon, Dornoch Firth, Golspie, Brora, Helmsdale next
Up and down at Berriedale -- left at Latheron -- you can't fail
Thurso, Scrabster -- get the ferry
You're in Stromness nice and early
Old Man of Hoy -- walked for hours with Gracie on my back
Graveyard at Warbeth -- it beckons
Or maybe Birsay -- Sea at your back

This is a song of Orkney
Diving the Churchill barriers
Christine -- she didn't like it
Felt claustrophobic
This is a song of Orkney
Fishing with Neil and Pukka
Maga is dead
But you can rent her house for a holiday

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