- published: 07 Jun 2009
- views: 1363619
Coordinates: 58°12′32″N 6°23′13″W / 58.209°N 6.387°W / 58.209; -6.387
Stornoway (/ˈstɔːrnəweɪ/; Scottish Gaelic: Steòrnabhagh) is a town on the Isle of Lewis, in the Outer Hebrides (also known as the Western Isles) of Scotland.
The town's population is around 8,000, making it the largest town in the Outer Hebrides (with a third of the population). The civil parish of Stornoway, including various nearby villages, has a population of approximately 12,000. Stornoway is an important port and the major town and administrative centre of the Outer Hebrides. It is home to Comhairle nan Eilean Siar (the Western Isles Council) and a variety of educational, sporting and media establishments. Observance of the Christian Sabbath (Sunday) has long been an aspect of the island's culture. Recent changes mean that Sunday on Lewis is now less different from Sunday on the other Western Isles or the mainland of Scotland.
According to the 2011 Census, there are 5,492 Gaelic speakers (43%) in the greater Stornoway area.
Curled up in the back of the car
Nine years old you don't know where you are
And your head's on the window, your eyes are just closed
There's a voice in the front and a hush on the road
You're a passenger but your mind is travelling on.
Open your eyes and you're nine years older
Hands on the wheel and you're racing on over
To lie with your first love, you can't wait to see her
You borrowed the car and you think you're the driver
But now you're the passenger to your own heart
and it takes you travelling, travelling on.
When the morning broke and the sky fell down
It went black as night and the wind blew round
And stole your directions, you lost your way home
And you felt like a passenger left by the road
But I'll tell you the reason you couldn't get home
Cause there's nowhere you've been and it's nowhere you're going
Home is only a feeling you get in your mind
From the people you love and you travel beside
You may feel like a passenger but now you're the driver
You've got to go travelling, travelling on
Because if you break down, it's a cold, hard shoulder
So fuel up your mind and fire up your heart and drive on
Drive on, drive on
And when your days are darker, put your foot down harder
Drive on, drive on.
And it's nine more years you've been driving now
But tonight you're stumbling through your old town
You met up with a schoolfriend who's still just the same
And you talked all the same shit you talked in those days
And now you're drunk and you're sad for the old times passing you by
For there's no rewind so you might as well play while your time is rolling away
And get back on the road, it's a beautiful day
Pick up all the friends you can find on your way
And if you lose direction they'll be there guiding you on
Guiding you, guiding you on.
Because we're all going the same way down this long road
Yes, we're all bound the same way down this long, long road.
So fuel up your mind and fire up your heart and drive on
Drive on, drive on
And when your days are darker, put your foot down harder
Drive on
Fuel up, and drive on
Fuel up, and drive on