Smile In Your Sleep

Amber Whitney

This is a Scottish Traditional song sung by Amber accompanied by the Utah Symphony Orchestra on the ‘Celtic Shores 2’ album.

In the 18th century, many of the Clan Chiefs got a taste of the rich life of the lowlands of Scotland. The lairds searched for ways to make more profit. They ‘improved’ their land by introducing large scale sheep farming. In the process, many of them brutally evicted families who had resided on the property for many generations. They burned their homes, ravaged and burned their crops and forced the families to relocate to dirty hovels at the shore line. This period is now known as the Highland Clearances.

This song depicts a mother trying to lull her baby to sleep while the gangs burned homes. The mother knew she would be ousted but refused to leave so she could quiet her baby. Eventually the hordes of men rushed her home, set it aflame and killed her and her baby.