Sorry, I wasn’t sure if this should be in Cafe Society or here.
I heard John McDermott’s version of “Scotland the Brave” the other day and started wondering what a horseman’s wheel is, as in the lyrics Shivering are the ranks of steel, dire is the horseman’s wheel.
When I Google it all I get back are the lyrics of the song.
All I can think of are spurs, but I don’t know if those would really be dire to anybody except the horse.
Thanks for your help!
I think it refers to a cavalry formation wheeling, or turning. Wheeling about means that the horsemen are in a line and one end of the line stands still while the other comes around so that the line changes facing like a gate closing.
My first thought was a wheel-lock pistol, which used to be the weapon of choice for horsemen. You’d ride close enough to bring you into the pistol’s range, fire off a shot, and then ride back out to a safe distance to reload.
Yes, it’s about cavalry, as a read of the rest of the lyrics shows.
Well, yes, obviously cavalry, but formation or firearm?
Formation. It’s a fairly recent tune (20th Century) so wheel-locks wouldn’t be the first choice.
It has to refer to a marching maneuver, left wheel, right wheel, wheel into line, etc… See Rudyard Kipling: When the guns of the enemy wheel into line. shaking their bustles like ladies so fine, aim low at the limbers and don’t mind the shine…
Even King Edward’s cavalry did not go stumbling around the countryside in gangs and mobs, each bunch of kinsmen or friends dashing off on impulse. There was a leader, helped out by junior and subordinate leaders, shouting instructions and, when things grew a bit more organized by guys blowing horns that could be heard over the clatter and tumult of a couple score mounted men milling about, shouting and clanging.
More importantly, it rhymes.
Thank you, everyone! I hadn’t even thought of a cavalry formation, so that makes a lot of sense.