The Bonnets Of Bonny Dundee, A question about the song

In this famous song we are told that when Dundee rode down the street:
"the bells they rang backwards,..."

How do bells ring backwards??
Thanks.

Ringing the bells backwards is a bellringer's term.... (or so I was taught at school, which is where I learned the song!) - the usual way of ringing a 'peal' of bells is reversed.... it's a way of sounding the alarm...

If you have ever been to Edinburgh you would know how narrow the city gates were at the West Port (in the song).... There was a bad fire in that district of Edinburgh a while ago..... major damage to buildings, some of them dating from the early 1500s.

Thanks, but wwhat is the "usual way" of ringing a peal?

Sorry, but just cos I know the answer to the question you raised, doesn't mean I have any real knowledge of bell-ringing - which is a skill people take years to learn

The bells are cast to give out a certain note.... certain runs of bells, ie striking in certain orders have names.... If you are a bellringer, you can recognise 'tunes'.... In earlier days there were 'tunes' for alarms, weddings, funerals etc..... all recognised by the population. So, and this is only an example - I have no knowledge that such a 'peal' exists - say the bells were usually rung in a certain order to peal out a 'good' message - 1 2 3 and then 4.... I suppose to play them backwards would be 4 3 2 and then 1?