Scottish Repertoire

Celtic Songs

Bagpipe Tutorials

Practice Chanter

When The Pipers Play
(Patrick King)

I hear the voice, I hear the war
I hear the sound, on a distant shore
I feel the spirit of yesterday
I touch the past, when the pipers play

The pipes kept playing, for you and me
They kept on saying, we will soon be free
And your soul will never fade away
You’ll live forever, when the pipers play

The pibroch rears its deadly cry
Ah, some will live and some will die
And though they passed so far away
I feel their presence when the pipers play

The pipes kept playing, for you and me
They kept on saying, we will soon be free
And your soul will never fade away
You’ll live forever, when the pipers play

It speaks of love, I have lost
It speaks of my eternal cost
It speaks the price of peace today
A price remembered, when the pipers play
We do remember when the pipers play

The pipes kept playing, for you and me
They kept on saying we will soon be free
And your soul will never fade away
You’ll live forever, when the pipers play

Here is a tune that we find, with some differences in notes and rhythms, under various names and interpretations such as When The Pipers Play, O Waly Waly, The Water Is Wide or the Irish Ballad.
It seems that the melody appears in Scotland in the form O Waly, Waly - first published in 1724 - but again there is debate between supporters of a Celtic, Scottish or Irish origin and those of an English tradition.
The fact is that this melody is magnificent and continues to be interpreted by very diverse artists, from the international variety or from the traditional world.

I chose to retain here this instrumental version, a slight variation of the basic air, which is of course aimed directly at all bagpipe enthusiasts:

When The Pipers Play... there is always something going on...

Save
(portrait format)

Save
(landscape format)

Save

WHEN THE PIPERS PLAY

SLOW AIR

- score by Eric Maclewis with CelticPipes