By yon bonnie banks,
And by yon bonnie braes,
Where the sun shines bright on Loch Lomond,
Where me and my true love
Were ever want to gae,
On the bonnie, bonnie banks of Loch Lomond.
Oh! ye'll take the high road and
I'll take the low road,
And I'll be in Scotland afore ye;
But me and my true love
Will never meet again
On the bonnie, bonnie banks of Loch Lomond.
'Twas then that we parted
In yon shady glen,
On the steep, steep side of Ben Lomond,
Where in purple hue
The Highland hills we view,
And the moon coming out in the gloaming.
Oh! ye'll take the high road and
I'll take the low road,
And I'll be in Scotland afore ye;
But me and my true love
Will never meet again
On the bonnie, bonnie banks of Loch Lomond.
The wee birdie sang
And the wild flowers spring,
And in sunshine the waters are sleeping,
But the broken heart it kens
Nae second Spring again,
Tho' the waeful may cease frae their greeting.
Oh! ye'll take the high road and
I'll take the low road,
And I'll be in Scotland afore ye;
But me and my true love
Will never meet again
On the bonnie, bonnie banks of Loch Lomond.
The Story Behind the Song
It is a Celtic Belief that when a person meets their death in a foreign land; his spirit returns to the place of his birth by an underground fairy way; The Low Road.
In 1745, when the Scottish army was retreating from invading England, several of the wounded had to unfortunately be left behind in Carlisle as they could go no further. Many fell into the hands of the English and were flung into Carlisle gaol. The song The Bonnie Banks o' Loch Lomond was undoubtedly written at this period and tells of two Scottish prisoners. One of the prisoners is to released, and would take The High Road home to Scotland, while the other, who was to be executed, would take The Low Road. Because the release and execution were timed for the same hour, the Dead, traveling on the Low Road would be in Scotland before the Living. The Living would have to tramp several weary miles of The High Road before he could hope to cross the border.
If you would like to listen to Bonnie Banks O' Loch Lomond sung in the manner it was meant to be
sung; Emerald Rose does a wonderful rendition.
P.S. By clicking on the word Emerald Rose you will be leaving our website.
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