When you think about Outlander, you’ll often find yourself thinking of its iconic theme song. “Skye Boat Song” is a classic Scottish folk song, but composer Bear McCreary arranged it in such a beautiful, haunting, and wistfully romantic way, it’s now become the “Outlander song.”* Singer Raya Yarbrough’s performance is so stunning that Starz asked her to sing the tune this past month at San Diego Comic-Con. Heck, even the great Sinead O’Connor took a stab at her version for later seasons of the Starz show.
So it goes without saying that Outlander: Blood of My Blood producers needed to get the prequel show’s opening credits theme song right. To do so, they not only tapped Bear McCreary once more, but decided on something different. Outlander: Blood of My Blood has an original song as its theme and a brand new singer attached to it.
According to Variety, Outlander: Blood of My Blood creator and long-time Outlander showrunner Matthew B. Roberts didn’t want to regurgitate “Skye Boat Song” for the prequel, but he wanted the new theme to have the same earworm energy.
“We didn’t want to do that again, but we wanted that song you sing to yourself when you’re in the car or the shower,” he said.
Bear McCreary worked on various versions of the theme and there were reportedly back-and-forths about whether there should be lyrics, what those lyrics would be, and would they be in English or Scottish Gaelic. Ultimately, McCreary’s finished song would be sung by Julie Fowlis in both languages.
The English lyrics are paired with key visual moments from the show that match the lines and tease the stories of Brian Fraser (Jamie Roy) and Ellen MacKenzie (Harriet Slater) as well as Henry Beauchamp (Jeremy Irvine) and Julia Moriston (Hermione Slater). The Scots Gaelic lines are a bit harder for outsiders to decipher, but Google translate says some of the lines refer to love, dream, and desire.
You can see how the song pairs with Outlander: Blood of My Blood‘s opening title sequence by watching the clip at the top of this page.
Already have your version of “Skye Boat Song” nailed, but want to get ahead of your friends on your Outlander: Blood of My Blood theme song cover? Here are the lyrics, English and Gaelic, of the new Outlander opening credits song:
“Long the way
O’er the bridge I crossed
For my love
For my love that’s lost
By the brae
In the verdant moss
Where I watch
Where I wait
For my love that’s lost.
Hi a bho
Hoireann eile o
Hi a bho
Fair a leo fair a lè
Hi a bho
Hoireann eile o
’S tu mo run
’S tu mo ghràdh
Agus m’ eudail o”
Outlander: Blood of My Blood theme song lyrics
The first two episodes of Outlander: Blood of My Blood are now streaming on Starz. They will debut on the Starz network tonight, Friday, August 8, at 8 PM ET.
New episodes of Outlander: Blood of My Blood will premiere weekly on Fridays on Starz and the Starz app.
*No, really, people were confused why Queen Elizabeth II’s funeral featured bagpipers playing the tune. Was Lillibet hardcore into Jamie and Claire?