“A Man’s A Man For A’ That” - Tom Deis [unreleased] (2010)
A couple of weeks ago, E and I hosted a “Burns Supper” party to celebrate the life and work of the Scottish poet Robert Burns (you probably know him from “Auld Lang Syne” as well as the poems from which “Catcher in the Rye” and “Of Mice and Men” derive their titles). It is an old tradition (though our first time), involving the eating of Scottish food, the drinking of Scotch, and most importantly, lots of poetry reading, of Burns’ work of course.
I was so happy with the way it came out. Lots of people read poetry, including me having a ton of fun reading his rambling poem “Tam O’Shanter”. I love reading out loud and it was really fun to have a party involving it. (E and I are already planning the next one.)
We were also lucky to have my friend Tom sing and play on guitar a rendition of Burns’ song “A Man’s A Man For A’ That.” It’s really a beautiful song, praising equality and judging men by their integrity. It was sung at the very first meeting of the new Scottish Parliament in 1999. And Tom, who plays guitar and sings for Via Audio (as well as Pineapple Island Tribesmen and Pamplemousse), is a first-class musician.
He decided he liked the song so much that he wanted to record it, and he sent me this mp3 a short time ago. Not only is it very beautiful, I also think he does a good job of singing the Scots words in a way that sounds right without putting on a fake Scottish accent.
