This is one of those songs you feel like everybody ought to know. That’s the main reason I’m posting it. I hope others will like it enough to sing it themselves whether live or in the studio. There are several recorded versions of this song, all with slightly different lyrics. This is my own interpretation. I view as somewhat of a hymn with God calling to mankind, "Come and dine."
 
I only have an old Echo MIA stereo sound card and I didn’t want to use headphones because I can’t sing on key very well with them on for some reason. I also wanted to play and sing at the same time and not have to worry about the balance between guitar and vocal, so what I did was to run the cheesy Fishman Sonitone pickup from my acoustic guitar into a Boss AD-5 unit and then panned it to one side of the mixer channel while running the vocal mic to the other side of another channel. A little of the guitar leaked into the vocal mic of course, but not that much. I then took the stereo track into Adobe Audition where I separated each side into its own track. Then I ran the guitar track out to Bandlab where I added a free VST effect called Bodilizer that helps recorded acoustic guitar pickup tracks sound a bit more like a mic, and then brought it back into Audition. My old version of Audition doesn’t handle VST plugins, and I go back and forth between it on Bandlab, but I do most things in Audition because I’m used to it. (I used Cakewalk Guitar Tracks years ago and wish they’d bring it back!) This worked pretty well for me. No more headphones while singing and playing!
 
Wild Mountain Thyme
Words and music by Francis McPeake (adapted from earlier poems)
 
Well summertime is coming
And the trees are sweetly blooming
And the wild mountain thyme
Grows on the blooming heather
Will ye go, lassie, go?
 
Chorus:
And we’ll all go together
To pluck wild mountain thyme
All around the blooming heather
Will ye go, lassie, go?
 
I will twine my love a bower
Near yon crystal fountain
And on it I will pile
All the flowers of the mountain
Will ye go, lassie, go?
 
Chorus
 
If my true love, she won’t come
I will surely find another
To pluck wild mountain thyme
All around the blooming heather
Will ye go, lassie, go?
 
Chorus

Hey Bill, yes you can sing. Have to say I was very impressed with your performance.
Beautiful song too. Never heard it before so thanks for sharing.

Nice one! Vocal chops rising! You gave it a good feel. Guitar has some lovely touches and moments as usual. Little fills in certain spots - very tastefully done.
 
I completely agree with you about this song, it should be a standard. I picked it out and played a version of it in the restaurants. Another argument for why, if you only had to pick one genre/nationality of music to listen to for the rest of your life, it should be Irish.
 
Or, Brazillian. Yeah, make that Brazillian.
 
Anyway, really cool rendition, Bill.

Nice cover of a classic folk song. The way you have recorded sounds very intimate and as being part Irish I enjoyed this one.

WELL DONE MATE!!!! I love this song and it's weird 'cause, of late I have been mastering some stuff for a mate of mine who's into Irish folk! and this is one of the songs she doing!
 
Your vocal works very well at this key and sounds relaxed with a 'laid back' feel that I think suits the song (wish you had given this one for me to work on, cause there's very little to do with the vocal LOL )
 
Are you gonna do this live ?
 
All the best with this work
 
Steve

Thanks for the feedback fellers. One of my favorite all-time songs, there.
 
Steve,
 
Yes, I definitely want to sing this one live. Tell your friend I think the Kilkennys have the prettiest version, but Bert Jansch has the most interesting. If she hasn't already recorded it yet, she should really check out Jansch's rendition for inspiration. He has this way of blending an Irish jig with country blues that's not like anything I've ever heard, and of course he's a great guitarist as well. 
 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y6kQ2uxkws8
 
Bill

Although I'm a rocker I like the song. Your voice sounds warm and pleasant.

That's the spirit of DIY recording - or DIY anything else, for that matter - make do with what you've got. Technical limitations aren't a barrier to creativity, they encourage it. Your rendition certainly proves the point. Very pleasant.
 
I know this song from The Byrds, who recorded it in the 60's. Note that in their version, the rhythm guitar is on the left, strings and lead guitar on the right and vocals centered. No doubt due to their own technical limitations of the day; it was probably recorded on a 4-track and all the vocal harmonies sung live.
 

 
Some additional information about the song from the YouTube comments:
 

"Wild Mountain Thyme," also commonly known as "Will You Go Lassie, Go" was first recorded by Francis McPeake in 1957 for the series "As I Roved Out" on BBC. We've found conflicting information on whether he actually wrote this song. Ireland the Songs, Volume 2, pub. 1993 Walton Mfg, Walton Music Inc. says, "He learned it from his uncle, which gives it definite Ulster credentials." However, Eric Winter writes in the liner notes of the 1995 re-release of The Corries: In Concert/Scottish Love Songs: ... this is an elegant variant of a Scottish song by Robert Tannahill (1774-1819), "The Braes of Balquidder." The senior member of the McPeake family of Belfast, Francis I, wrote this version (the tune is markedly different from Tannahill's) and dedicated it to his first wife. Long after she died, he married again and his son, Francis II, wrote an extra verse to celebrate the marriage.

Wayfarer
Thanks for the feedback fellers. One of my favorite all-time songs, there.
 
Steve,
 
Yes, I definitely want to sing this one live. Tell your friend I think the Kilkennys have the prettiest version, but Bert Jansch has the most interesting. If she hasn't already recorded it yet, she should really check out Jansch's rendition for inspiration. He has this way of blending an Irish jig with country blues that's not like anything I've ever heard, and of course he's a great guitarist as well. 
 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y6kQ2uxkws8
 
Bill

Thanks for the heads up Bill, much appreciated ... Stay well (Love Bert Jansch redish, gives me a chance to do some vocal with her if she agrees ) For the record still like your rendish ...
 
Steve

This is lovely Bill.