“Massacre of Glencoe” by John McDermott
This song is based on a historical event which is in fact known as the Massacre of Glencoe. This incident transpired in Scotland in 1692, with said country also being John McDermott’s homeland.
There’s a complex political backdrop to this event. And whereas we don’t have time to fully indoctrinate ourselves in it, apparently it has something to do with the unification of the United Kingdom. Indeed, we have come across a number of songs throughout the years pointing to the fact that the formation of the UK was not as peaceful as many of us may think.
But that noted, it isn’t like the lyrics of this song are political anyway. Instead the vocalist is fundamentally recounting a historical event, albeit from a subjective point of view.
But such is understandable, as the Massacre of Glencoe was an ugly affair. According to Encyclopedia Britannica, the victims of the massacre, the Clan MacDonald, did intend on pledging allegiance to the top monarch of the day, William III. However, due to circumstances beyond their control, the leader of the clan, Alexander MacDonald, was not able to do so in a timely fashion. And what this ultimately resulted in is soldiers whom his people had received and were entertaining for a number of days turning on them and initiating the massacre. This resulted in approximately 40 deaths. Among the deaths were women and children.
The Lyrics
What McDermott goes about doing in this song is recounting the event. He does so in such a vivid manner that one would think he was one of the Clan MacDonald. In the first verse, we see the aforementioned soldiers arriving in the ‘hood amidst “a blizzard”. They are then warmly welcomed by the clan. But in the second, it is also revealed that said individuals proceeded to murder the MacDonalds, under “orders” of “King William”. It should be noted that these soldiers were under the leadership of one Archibald Campbell.
And the same is more or less reiterated in the third verse. The “band of Argyles” mentioned therein is actually a reference to Campbell’s position at the time, which was as the 10th Earl of Argyll.
Meanwhile the rest of the song really is meant to highlight how treacherous an act this truly was, particularly from the perspective of the vocalist, a MacDonald.
In Conclusion
McDermott didn’t compose this song. It was authored primarily by a Scottish songwriter named Jim McLean. We don’t know if McLean himself descended from the Clan MacDonald. But it is obvious that he is perturbed by what they went through. Even though their ordeal occurred centuries ago, he still feels it as though it happened yesterday.
When was “Massacre of Glencoe” released?
“Massacre of Glencoe” was released in 1994. It is one of the songs on an album titled “Old Friends”.
Who is John McDermott?
McDermott is a tenor born in Glasgow, Scotland. He began his professional career in 1980. One of his best known works is his cover of the famous ballad, “Danny Boy“.
