Thirty foot Trailer. (Ewan MacColl)


The old ways are changing you cannot deny
The day of the traveler is over
There’s nowhere to go and there’s nowhere to bide
So farewell to the life of the rover

Chorus.

Goodbye to the tent and the old caravan
To the tinker, the gypsy, the traveling man
And goodbye to the thirty foot trailer

Farewell to the cant and the Romany tongue
Farewell to the Romany talking
The buying and the selling, the old fortune telling
The knock on the door and the hawking

You’ve got to move fast to keep up with the times
For these days a man cannot dander
There’s a bylaw to say you must be on your way
And another to say you can’t wander

Farewell to the besoms of heather and bloom
Farewell to the creels and the basket
The folks of today they would far sooner pay
For a thing that’s been made out of plastic

Goodbye to the tent and the old caravan
To the tinker, the gypsy, the traveling man
And goodbye to the thirty foot trailer

The old ways are passing and soon will be gone
For progress is aye a big factor
It’s sent to afflict us and when they evict us
They’ll tow us away with a tractor

Farewell to the pony, the cob and the mare
The reins and the harness are idle
You don’t need a strap when you’re breaking up scrap
So farewell to the bit and the bridle

Farewell to the fields where we’ve sweated and toiled
At pullin’ and crownin’ and liftin’
They’ll soon have machines and the traveling queens
And their menfolk had better be shiftin’

You’ve got to move fast to keep up with the times
For these days a man cannot dander
There’s a bylaw to say you must be on your way
And another to say you can’t wander

Ca The Yowes

Chorus 
Ca’ the yowes to the knowes, 
Ca’ them where the heather grows, 
Ca’ them where the burnie rowes, 
My bonie dearie.

Hark, the mavis e’ening sang 
Sounding Clouden’s woods amang 
Then a-faulding let us gang. 
My bonie dearie.

We’ll gae down by Clouden side, 
Thro the hazels, spreading wide 
O’er the waves that sweetly glide 
To the moon sae clearly.

Yonder Clouden’s silent towers 
Where, at moonshine’s midnight hours, 
O’er the dewy bending flowers 
Fairies dance sae cheery.

Ghaist nor bogle shalt thou fear 
Thou’rt to Love and Heav’n sae dear 
Nocht of ill may come thee near, 
My bonie dearie.

Fair and lovely as thou art

thou hast stolen my very heart

I can die but canna part

Wi’ my bonnie dearie.

Yellow On The Broom. (Adam McNauhton)

I ken ye dinna like it lass, the winter here in toon

For the scaldies a misca us, and they try tae bring us doon

And it’s hard tae raise three bairns, in a single flae box room

But I’ll tak ye on the road again, when the yella’s on the broom.

Chorus.

When the yella’ s on the broom, when the yella’ s on the broom

I’ll tak ye on the road again, when the yella’s on the broom.

.

The scaldies ca us tinker dirt, and they spurn oor bairn’s in school

But fa cares fit the scaldies think, for the scaldies but a fool

They never hear the yarlin’s song, nor see the flaxen bloom

For they’re cooped up in hooses when the yella’s on the bloom

.

Nae sale for pegs or baskets noo, that used to bide our lives

But I seem to work at scaldies jobs, from nie o’ clock till five

But we ca’ nae man oor maister, when we own the warld roon

And I’ll bid fareweel tae Breechin, when the yella’s on the broom

.

I’m weary for the springtime, when we tak the road aince mair

T ae the plantin and the fermin, and the berry fields O Blair

When we meet up wae oor kin-folk, frae a the country roon

And we yarn aboot wha’ll tak the road when the yella’s on the broom

Willie Taylor

Willie Taylor and his youthful lover,
Full of mirth and loyalty,
They were going to the church to be married,
He was pressed and sent on sea.

Dolly dilly dum dilly dum dum day

She dressed herself up like a sailor
On her breast she wore a star
Her lovely fingers long and slender
She gave them all just a smear of tar.

On the ship there being a skirmish
She was one amongst the rest
A silver button flew off her jacket
There appeared her snow-white breast

Said the captain to this fair maid
What misfortune has took you here
I’m in search of my true lover,
Who you pressed on the other year.

If you’re in search of your true lover
Tell me what might be his name
Willie Taylor’s what they call him,
But Fitzgerald is his name.

If you’ll get up tomorrow morning
Early as the break of day
There you’ll spy your Willie Taylor
Walking along with a lady gay.

So she got up the very next morning
Early as the break of day
And there she spied her Willie Taylor
Walking along with a lady gay.

So she pulled out a brace of pistols
That she had at her command
And there she shot her Willie Taylor
With his bride at his right hand.

When the captain came to hear
Of the deed that she had done
He made her a ship’s commander
Over a vessel for the Isle of Man.Dolly

Road To Drumleman. (Willie Mitchell.)

Oh the springtime returns to the Laggan again
And the lark sweetly sings o’er the green fertile plain
So I’ll tak the road that is dearest to me,
The road to Drumleman that winds tae the sea.

For I’ve made many friends there on every green mile
And the folks always greet me with a wave and a smile
If I spend all my days here, it’s happy I’ll be,
On the road to Drumleman that winds tae the sea.

For we sat roon the fireside when the winter winds blew
And we laughed and we sang till the night was well through
Then we’d have a good dram and a wee cup o’ tea
For the road to Drumleman that winds tae the sea.

And the long summer days when we tramped the hills o’er
To spend hours at the Eenans or Creggin’s wild shore
And the soft summer twilight made shadows to flee
On the road to Drumleman that winds tae the sea.

Oh these days passing swiftly bring changes I know
And as time passes on from this place we must go
But I’ll always remember while the heart beats in me,
The road to Drumleman that winds tae the sea.

Sound The Pibroch (Trad)

Sound the pibroch loud and high
Frae John o’ Groats tae Isle o’ Skye
Let every clan their slogan cry
Rise and follow Charlie

Chorus.

Tha tighin fodham, fodham, fodham
Tha tighin fodham, fodham, fodham
Tha tighin fodham, fodham, fodham
Rise and follow Charlie.

See that small devoted band
By dark Loch Shiel they’ve made their stand
And bravely vowed wi’ heart and hand
To rise and follow Charlie.

From every hill and every glen
Are gatherin’ fast the loyal men
They grasp their dirks and shout again
Hurrah for Royal Charlie.

On dark Culloden’s field of gore
Hark they shout Claymore, Claymore
They bravely fight what can they more
They die for Royal Charlie.


No more we’ll see such deeds again
Deserted is each Highland glen
And lonely cairns are o’er the men
Wha’ fought and died for Charlie


Coorie Doon (Matt McGinn)

Coorie doon, coorie doon, coorie doon, my darling
Coorie doon the day
Coorie doon, coorie doon, coorie doon, my darling
Coorie doon the day

Lie down, my dear, and in your ear
To help you close your eye
I’ll sing a song, a slumber song
A miner’s lullaby

Your daddy’s doon the mine, my darling
Doon in the curbly main
Your daddy’s howkin’ coal, my darling
For his ain wee wean

There’s darkness doon the mine my darling
Darkness, dust and damp
But we must have oor heat, oor light
Oor fire and our lamp

Your daddy coories doon, my darling
Doon in a three foot seam
So you can coorie doon my darling
Coorie doon and dream

Tae The Weavers Gin Ye Go (Trad)

My heart was ance as blyth and free

As Summer days were lang

But a bonnie westlin weaver lad

Has gart me change my song

Chorus.

Tae the weavers gin ye go fair maid

Tae the weaver’ gin ye go

I rede ye richt, gang ne’er at nicht 

Tae the weavers gin ye go

.

My mither sent me tae the toon

Tae warp a plaiden wab

But the weary weary warpin o’t

Has gart me sigh and sab

.

A bonnie weslin weaver lad

Sat workin at his loom

He took my heart as wi a net

In every knot a thrum

.

I sat beside my warpin-wheel

And ay I ca’d it roun

But every shot and every knock

My heart it gae a stoun.

.

The moon was sinkin in the west

Wi’ visage pale and wan

As my bonnie weslin weaver lad

convoy’d me thro the glen

.

But what was said or what was done

Shame fa’ me gin I tell

But Oh, I fear the kintra soon

Will ken as weel’s mysel.

Back O’ Benichie. (Trad)

Oh I niver had but twa richt lads
Aye twa richt lads, twa richt bonnie lads
I niver had but twa richt lads
That dearly courted me

Chorus

Gin I were whaur the gaudie rins
Whaur the gaudie rins, whaur the gaudie rins
Gin I were whaur the gaudie rins
At the back o’ Bennachie

And ane was killed at the laurin’ fair
The laurin’ fair, at the laurin’ fair
Oh ane was killed at the laurin’ fair
The ither was droont in the Dee

And I gave to him the haunin’ fine
The haunin’ fine, the haunin’ fine
Gave to him the haunin’ fine
His mornin’ dressed tae be

Well, he gave to me the linen fine
The linen fine, the linen fine
Gave to me the linen fine
Me windin’ sheet tae be

Well, oh gin I were whaur the gaudie rins
Wi’ the bonny broom an’ the yellow whims
Gin I were whaur the gaudie rins
At the back o’ Bennachie

The Battle Of Harlaw (Trad)

As I came in by Dunideer an doon by Netherhaw

There were fifty thoosand heilan men a marchin tae Harlaw

For we went on an further on and doon by Balquhain

Oh it’s there I saw Sir James the Rose and wi him John the Graeme

Chorus

Singin diddy ay o an a fal an doe

and a diddy aye o aye ay

And did ye cam frae the heilans man and did ye cam ah the wey

And ye see MacDonalds and his men as they cam doon frae Skye

For a cam frae the heilans man and I cam ah the wey

And I saw MacDonald and his men and they marched dood frae Skye

Wis ye near and near eneuch and did their numbers see

Cam tell tae me ye heilan man what might their numbers be

I was near and near eneuch and I their numbers saw

There were fifty thousand heilan men a marchin tae Harlaw

Gin that be true says James the Rose we’ll no cam muckle speed

we’ll cry upon wir merry men and turn wir horse’s heid

Oh na o na says John the Graeme this can never be

The gallant Greames wis nivver beat we’ll try fit we can dai

Lord Forbes tae his brither did say “noo brither can’t ye see

They’ve beaten us back an ilka side and we’ll be forced tae flee”

“Oh na, o na” says John the Graeme “This thing will nivver be”

“ Ye’ll take yer gid sword in yer hand and ye’ll gang in we me”

Them that was brothers brave went in amongst the thrang

They swathed doon the heilan men wi swords baith sharp and lang

An’ the firstan stroke that the Forbes struck, he gart MacDonald reel

an’ the neistan stroke that Forbes struck , the brave MacDonald fell.

When the cry among the heilan men when they saw their leader fa

And when they saw that he wis dead they turned and ran awa.