I read that it was english, just in a very overrrrrpronounced 'scots' accents. Dunno if Waters had met Ron Geesin yet but he might have gotten the idea from him. I'm sure there is a translation on the net somewhere.
From the 'Echoes' FAQ..
"Several Species"
First off, what *is* a Pict?
Pict : A member of a possibly non-Celtic people who once occupied Great Britain, carried on continual border wars with the Romans, and about the ninth century became amalgamated with the Scots.
As to what's being said, that's hard to say. The following are two interpretations, the first by Brian Tompsett, and the second by Mike Merriam.
Brian Tompsett
Aye an' a bit of Mackeral settler rack and ruin
ran it doon by the haim, 'ma place
well I slapped me and I slapped it doon in the side
and I cried, cried, cried.
The fear a fallen down taken never back the raize
and then Craig Marion, get out wi' ye Claymore out mi pocket
a' ran doon, doon the middin stain
picking the fiery horde that was fallen around ma feet.
Never he cried, never shall it ye get me alive
ye rotten hound of the burnie crew.
Well I snatched fer the blade O my Claymore
cut and thrust and I fell doon before him round his feet.
Aye!
A roar he cried
frae the bottom of his heart that I would nay fall but as dead,
dead as 'a can be by his feet; de ya ken?
...and the wind cried back.
Mike Merriam
Aye an' a bit of Mackeral (Fagger, wreck'n) fear
Ran it doon by the (haim)
And I (flew).
When I (slapped) me,
And I flopped it doon in the shade,
And I cried, cried, 'n cried.
The fear o' fallen down 'a taken, ne'er back t' raise.
And then cried Mary,
And I took that weighted claymore right out of (---),
And ran doon, doon the mountain side,
And back unt' the fiery horde that was fall'n round y' feet.
Never, I cried,
Never shall ye take me alive,
Y' rotten hound and the (----- --rew).
Well I (snapped fore) the blade o' my claymore,
Cut and thrust,
And I fell down before him.
Right at his feet. Aye!
A roar, he cried,
Fr' the bottom of his heart,
That I would nay fall
But as dead,
Dead as I can, by feat
(D' ya ken?)
And the wind cried Mary.
There has been much discussion on echoes as to whether he is saying "and the wind cried back" or "and the wind cried Mary" in that last line. I guess just listen real closely, try to isolate the left and right channels, and make up your own mind...
Also, from Adam Winstanley: Regarding Several Species... the most recent edition of the Amazing Pudding has a short piece on that. [Editors note: This was TAP number 8, published before Echoes existed] Waters does most of it but if you have one of those old record players that can do 16rpm you can hear Gilmour in the middle somewhere ("This is pretty avant-garde isn't it...") and if you speed it up to 78rpm you can hear "bring back my guitar." Ron Geesin isn't on the track although he parodied it on a track called "To Roger Waters, Where-ver You Are."
Actually, Roger Waters does all of it himself. The weird sounds are obtained by playing human voices back at various speeds, whereas the drumming sounds are created by Water drumming with his hands on his body and a table (or something similar).
There has been some discussion on Echoes whether the Ron Geesin track actually is a parody on this track or not. The jury is still out on that one.
― mzui (mzui), Thursday, 31 March 2005 06:16 (twenty-one years ago)