Loch Lomond
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 o’ Loch Lomond.
Oh, ye’ll tak’ the high road and I’ll tak’ 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.
I mind where we parted in yon shady glen
On the steep, steep side of Ben Lomond.
Where in deep purple hue the Heiland hills we view,
And the moon comin’ out in the gloamin’.
Oh, ye’ll tak’ the high road and I’ll tak’ 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 birdies sing, and the wild flowers spring,
And in sunshine the waters are sleeping,
But the broken heart will ken nae second spring again,
Tho’ the waefu’ may cease frae their greeting.*
Oh, ye’ll tak’ the high road and I’ll tak’ 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.
(* greeting = weeping; waefu'= sorrowing)
This song is based on the old belief that the Scots soul returns underground on death to the homeland.
It is believed to have been written by a Jacobite prisoner awaiting execution in Carlisle Castle, Cumbria, England. His sweetheart had travelled to visit him – but her journey home would be slower over land than his in death.
Incidentally, in Carlisle Castle, there is a cell with a window high in the wall. There are deep grooves in the stone sill, made by another prisoner’s fingers as he hauled himself up to glimpse the Scottish hills in the distance.
Scots Dictionary
Scottish Tunes in 2/4 Time
Let's Sing!
(Index of Scots Songs)
Let's Dance!
(Index of Scottish Dance Music)
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