Page:The Book of Scottish Song.djvu/86

68 Short syne we were wonderfu' canty,

Our friends and our country to see

But since the proud Consul's grown vauntie,

We'll meet him by land or by sea.

Wherever a clan is disloyal,

Wherever our king has a foe,

He'll quickly see Donald Macdonald,

Wi' his Highlanders a' in a row.

Guns, and pistols, and a',

Pistols, and guns, and a';

He'll quickly see Donald Macdonald,

Wi' guns, and pistols, and a'.

What though we befreendit young Charlie?

To tell it I dinna think shame;

Puir lad! he cam' to us but barely,

And reckon'd our mountains his hame.

It's true that our reason forbade us,

But tenderness carried the day;

Had Geordie come friendless amang us,

Wi' him we had a' gane away.

Sword, and buckler, and a',

Buckler, and sword, and a';

For George we'll encounter the devil,

Wi' sword, and buckler, and a'.

And O I wad eagerly press him

The keys o' the East to retain;

For should he gi'e up the possession,

We'll soon ha'e to force them again:

Than yield up an inch wi' dishonour,

Though it were my finishln' blow,

He aye may depend on Macdonald,

Wi' his Highlandmen all in a row.

Knees, and elbows, and a',

Elbows, and knees, and a';

Depend upon Donald Macdonald,

His knees, and elbows, and a'.

If Bonaparte land at Fort-William,

Auld Europe nae langer shall grane;

I laugh when I think how we'll gall him

Wi' bullet, wi' steel, and wi' stane:

Wi' rocks o' the Nevis and Garny

We'll rattle him aff frae our shore,

Or lull him asleep in a cairnie,

And sing him Lochaber no more!

Stanes, and bullets, and a'.

Bullets, and stanes, and a';

We'll finish the Corsican callau

Wi' stanes, and bullets, and a'.

The Gordon is gude in a hurry;

And Campbell is steel to the bane,

And Grant, and Mackenzie, and Murray,

And Cameron, will hurkle to nane;

The Stuart is sturdy and wannel;

And sae is Macleod and Mackay;

And I, their gude-brither, Macdonald,

Sall never be last in the fray.

Brogues, and brochan, and a',

Brochan, and brogues, and a';

And up wi' the bonnie blue bonnet,

The kilt, and feather, and a'.

[ by to the old set of the air of "Dundee," as found in the Skene MS.]

[ of Newcastle.—Here printed for the first time.]

breath o' spring is gratefu',

As mild it sweeps alang,

Awaukening bud an' blossom

The broomy braes amang;

And wafting notes o' gladness

Fra ilka bower and tree;

Yet the bonnie Redesdale lassie

Is sweeter still to me!