Open Thread: Wild Mountain Thyme

Hosted by the blooming heather
“Will ye go, lassie, go?
And we’ll all go together
To pull wild mountain thyme
From all around the blooming heather
Will ye go, lassie, go?”

I’ve always  heard this sung in a slow, wandering tempo, evoking a plaintive, wistful longing.  Recently, though, I heard one of my favorite Neo-Celtic bands claim that "Wild Mountain Thyme" is actually about, well, boys and girls finding plausible excuses to sneak away into the hills for some hanky-panky, and therefore it should be sung in a much more lively, upbeat fashion.  I’m not sure if I buy that interpretation, but the arrangement is catchy.

How do you think the song should be sung?  Do you like Celtic folk music, and if not, is there a different kind of “traditional” music you like better?  Do you know other songs that can be performed in more than one way, and which do you think is better?  Do you have any “happy” songs that always struck you as sad, or vice versa?

~Kristycat

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