
Wake and District
The Barren Rocks of Aden.
๐๐๐ ๐ฝ๐๐ง๐ง๐๐ฃ ๐๐ค๐๐ ๐จ ๐ค๐ ๐ผ๐๐๐ฃ: This march is associated with the Gordon Highlanders Regiment, because it is played for the dance called The Gay Gordons.

The tune is said to have been composed by piper James Mauchline, who was delighted that his regiment was leaving the hot, dry port of Aden, in what is now South Yemen, in Arabia. It rains less than once a year in Aden and the Old Town is inside the shell of an extinct volcano.
Fun Fact: In Scotland the tune is played as a 2/4 pipe march, but in Ireland it is played as a fiddle polka.
There is some disagreement about when the tune was composed and named. It may date from the mid-19th century.
One website concerned with regimental tradition says James Mauchline gave it no title. While a detachment of the 78th Seaforth Highlanders Regiment was stationed in Aden, Pipe Major Alexander Mackellar rearranged and named the tune...
The tune has four parts. People would sing a verse mading fun of the way native Gaels used to speak English, as they danced to the first part of the tune:
๐ฎ๐๐ ๐๐ฝ๐ ๐๐ถ๐น๐น๐พ๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐ฝ๐๐๐,
๐๐พ ๐๐ฝ๐ ๐๐ถ๐๐๐ถ๐ ๐๐พ๐๐ ๐ถ๐๐น ๐๐ฝ๐ ๐๐๐ถ ๐๐๐๐ ๐ท๐ถ๐๐
๐๐ ๐ถ๐ถ ๐๐ฝ๐ ๐๐ถ๐น๐พ๐๐ ๐๐ฝ๐๐ ๐น๐๐ธ๐๐ถ๐๐,
'๐ฎ๐ฝ๐'๐ ๐ถ ๐ป๐พ๐๐ ๐ท๐๐ถ๐ ๐ธ๐ฝ๐พ๐๐ ๐พ๐ ๐ฝ๐๐ ๐๐ถ๐พ๐๐๐๐'
(Music of the Scottish Regiments, Murray, 1994)
More recently, the Singing Kettle show recorded a song using a simpler version of the first part of the tune. Their song begins:
๐๐ถ, ๐๐ถ, ๐๐พ๐๐ ๐๐๐ ๐ท๐๐ ๐๐ ๐ถ
๐ต๐๐ ๐๐ ๐ถ, ๐ท๐๐ ๐๐ ๐ถ
๐๐ถ, ๐๐ถ, ๐๐พ๐๐ ๐๐๐ ๐ท๐๐ ๐๐ ๐ถ
๐ต๐๐ ๐๐ ๐ถ ๐ท๐ถ๐๐ถ๐๐ถ.
The mother buys her child one, then eats it all herself ๐คฃ
Thank you to ๐๐๐จ๐ญ๐ฌ ๐๐๐ง๐ ๐ฎ๐๐ ๐ ๐๐๐ง๐ญ๐ซ๐ for this incredible background.
๐๐๐ ๐ฝ๐๐ง๐ง๐๐ฃ ๐๐ค๐๐ ๐จ ๐ค๐ ๐ผ๐๐๐ฃ, arrangement by P/M Dave McKee, Sr. of the SyKb is one of many #TunesWePlay