O Flower of Scotland,
When will we see your like again
That fought and died for
Your wee bit hill and glen.

And stood against him,
Proud Edward’s army,
And sent him homeward
Tae think again.

The hills are bare now,
And autumn leaves lie thick and still
O’er land that is lost now,
Which those so dearly held

That stood against him,
Proud Edward’s army
And sent him homeward
Tae think again.

Those days are past now
And in the past they must remain
But we can still rise now
And be the nation again!

That stood against him
Proud Edward’s army
And sent him homeward
Tae think again.

O Flower of Scotland,
When will we see your like again
That fought and died for
Your wee bit hill and glen.

And stood against him,
Proud Edward’s army,
And sent him homeward
Tae think again.

 

Well, Jimmy played harmonica in the pub where I was born;
He played it from the night time to the peaceful early morn;
He soothed the souls of psychos and the men who had the horn,
And they all looked very happy in the morning.

Now Jimmy didn’t like his place in this world of ours,
Where the elephant man broke strong men’s necks when he’d had too many Powers;
So, sad to see the grieving of the people that he’s leaving,
He took the road for God knows in the morning.

We walked him to the station in the rain;
We kissed him as we put him on the train;
And we sang him a song of times long gone,
Though we knew that we’d be seeing him again.
(Far away) sad to say, I must be on my way,
So buy me beer and whiskey, ’cause I’m going far away. (far away)
I’d like to think of me returning when I can
To the greatest little boozer and to Sally MacLennane.

I played the pump and took the hump and watered whiskey down,
I talked of whores and horses to the men who drank the brown.
I heard them say that Jimmy’s making money far away,
And some people left for heaven without warning.

We walked him to the station in the rain;
We kissed him as we put him on the train;
And we sang him a song of times long gone,
Though we knew that we’d be seeing him again.
(Far away) sad to say, I must be on my way,
So buy me beer and whiskey, ’cause I’m going far away. (far away)
I’d like to think of me returning when I can
To the greatest little boozer and to Sally MacLennane.

When Jimmy came back home, he was surprised that they were gone.
He asked me all the details of the train that they went on.
Some people they are scared to croak, but Jimmy drank until he choked,
And he took the road for heaven in the morning.

We walked him to the station in the rain;
We kissed him as we put him on the train;
And we sang him a song of times long gone,
Though we knew that we’d be seeing him again.
(Far away) sad to say, I must be on my way,
So buy me beer and whiskey, ’cause I’m going far away. (far away)
I’d like to think of me returning when I can
To the greatest little boozer and to Sally MacLennane.

Fareweel to a’ our Scottish fame,
Fareweel our ancient glory;
Fareweel to e’en our Scottish name
Sae fam’d in sang and story.
Now Sark rins tae th’ Solway sands,
An’ Tweed runs t’ th’ ocean..
Tae mark whaur England’s Province stands:
Sic a parcel of rogues in a nation!

What force or guile could not subdue
Thro’ many warlike ages,
Is wrought now by a coward few
For hireling traitor’s wages.
The English steel we could disdain,
Secure in valour’s station.
But English gold has been our bane:
Sic a parcel of rogues in a nation!

Oh, would or had I seen the day
That treason thus could sell us!
My auld grey head had lien in clay,
Wi’ Bruce and loyal Wallace!
But, pith and power, till my last hour,
I’ll make this declaration:
We were bought and sold for English gold!
Sic a parcel of rogues in a nation!

Nae mair will oor bonnie gallants
Mairch tae war when oor braggarts croosely craw,
Nor wee weans frae pit-heid and clachan
Mourn the ships sailin’ doon the Broomielaw.
Broken faim’lies in lands we’ve harried
Will curse Scotland the Brave nae mair, nae mair;
Black and white, ane til th’ ither married,
Mak’ the vile barracks o’ their maisters bare.

Sae come a’ ye at hame wi’ freedom,
Niver heed whit the hoodies croak for doom;
In your hoose a’ the bairns o’ Aidam
Can find breid, barley-bree and paintit room.
When MacLean meets wi’s frien’s in Springburn
A’ the roses and geans will turn tae bloom,
And the black boys frae yont Nyanga
Ding the fell gallows o’ the burghers doon.

Roch the wind in the clear day’s dawin’
Blaws the cloods heelster-gowdie o’er the bay,
But there’s mair nor a roch wind blawin’
Thro’ the Great Glen o’ the warld the day.

roch: rough | dawin’: dawning | heelster-gowdie: upside down | mair nor: more than | Great Glen: the fault valley that roughly separates Highlands from Lowlands; symbol of division, inequality, prejudice | gar: make, compel | rottans: rodents, vermin | gallus: bold | loanin’s: pastures | braggarts: boastful ones; jingoists and imperialists | croosely: arrogantly | wee weans: little children | pit-heid: mining town | clachan: rural village (Gaelic) | the Broomielaw: the dockside street in Glasgow | harried: plundered | ane til th’ ither: to each other | hoodies: hoodie-crows, carrion birds; metaphorically, those who profit by war | bairns o’ Aidam: children of Adam; human beings | barley-bree: whisky | paintit room: hospitality | MacLean: John MacLean; Glasgow schoolteacher and leader of the Red Clydesiders, died in 1923 after serving five jail sentences for sedition | Springburn: working-class district in Glasgow | geans: cherry-blossoms | Nyanga: black township in South Africa; centre of black resistance in the 1960s, rallying point for the ANC | ding: knock, smash | burghers: bourgeois

LEAVING LIVERPOOL

Farewell to Prince's Landing Stage
River Mersey, fare thee well
I am bound for California
A place I know right well

So fare thee well, my own true love
When I return united we will be
It's not the leaving of Liverpool that's grieving me
But my darling when I think of thee

I'm bound off for California
By the way of stormy Cape Horn
And I'm bound to write you a letter, love
When I am homeward bound

I have signed on a Yankee Clipper ship
Davy Crockett is her name
And Burgess is the Captain of her
And they say she's a floating Hell

I have shipped with Burgess once before
And I think I know him well
If a man's a seaman, he can get along
If not, then he's sure in Hell

Farewell to lower Frederick Street
Ensign Terrace and Park Lane
For I think it will be a long, long time
Before I see you again

Oh the sun is on the harbor, love
And I wish I could remain
For I know it will be a long, long time
Till I see you again

JOHNSON'S MOTOR CAR

It was down by Brannigan's corner one morning I did stray.
I met a fellow rebel and to me he did say
He had orders from our Captain to assemble at Dunbar
But how were we to get there without a motor car.

Oh Barney dear be of good cheer I'll tell you what you'll do.
The Specials they are plentiful but the I.R.A. are few,
We'll send a wire to Johnson to meet us at Stranlar
And we'll give the boys a jolly good drive in Johnson's Motor Car.

When Doctor Johnson heard the news he soon put on his shoes
He said this is an urgent case, there is not time to lose,
He then put on his castor hat and on his breast a star,
You could hear the din going through Glen Fin of Johnson's
Motor Car.

But when he got to the Railway Bridge, the rebels he saw there,
Ould Johnson knew the game was up for at him they did stare;
He said I have a permit to travel near and far,
To hell with your English permit, we want you motor car.

What will my loyal brethren think when they hear the news
My car it has been commandeered by the rebels at Dunluce,
We'll give you a receipt for it, all signed by Captain Barr
and when Ireland gets her freedom, you'll get your motorcar.

Well they put that car in motion and they filled it to the brim
With guns and bayonets shining, which made ould Johmon grim.
Then Barney hoisted the Sinn Fein flag and it fluttered like a star,
And we gave three cheers for the I.R.A. and Johnson's motor car.

Join the British Army

(trad version)

When I was young I used to be as fine a man as ever you'd see
Til the Prince of Wales he said to me: "Come and join the British army"

Toora loora loora loo, they're looking for monkeys up at the zoo
"If I had a face like you, I'd join the British army"

Sarah Comden baked a cake, 'twas all for poor oul Slattery's sake
She threw herself into the lake, pretending she was barmy

Toora loora loora loo, they're looking for monkeys up at the zoo
"If I had a face like you, I'd join the British army"

Corporal Daly went away, his wife got in the family way
And the only thing that she could say, was: "Blame the British army"

Toora loora loora loo, they're looking for monkeys up at the zoo
"If I had a face like you, I'd join the British army"

Corporal Kelly's a terrible drought, just give him a couple of jars of stout
And he'll beat the enemy with his mouth and save the British army

Toora loora loora loo, they're looking for monkeys up at the zoo
"If I had a face like you, I'd join the British army"

Kilted soldiers wear no drawers, won't you kindly lend them yours
The rich must always help the poor to save the British army

Toora loora loora loo, they're looking for monkeys up at the zoo
"If I had a face like you, I'd join the British army"

When I was young I used to be as fine a man as ever you'd see
Til the Prince of Wales he said to me: "Come and join the British army"

Toora loora loora loo, they're looking for monkeys up at the zoo
"If I had a face like you, I'd join the British army"

(Paddys Irish Clan version)

A PAIR OF BROWN EYES

One summer evening drunk to hell
I sat there nearly lifeless.
And old man in the corner sang
where the water lilies grow.
And on the jukebox Johnny sang
about a thing called love.
And it's how you are kid and
what's your name.
and how would you bloody know.

In blood and death 'neath a
screaming sky
I lay down on the ground.
And the arms and legs of other men
were scattered all around.
Some cursed some prayed,
some prayed then cursed.
The prayed then bled some more.
And the only thing that I could see
was a pair of brown eyes that was
looking at me.

But when we got back
labelled parts one to three
there was no pair of brown eyes
waiting for me.
And a rovin' a rovin' a rovin' I'll go
for a pair of brown eyes.
I looked at him he looked at me
all I could do was hate him.
While Ray and Philomena sand
of my elusive dreams.
I saw the streams the rolling hills
where his brown eyes were waiting.
And I thought about
a pair of brown eyes
that waited once for me.

So drunk to hell I left the place
sometimes crawling sometimes walking.
A hungry sound
came across the breeze
so I gave the walls a talking.
And I heard the sounds of long ago
from the old canal.
And the birds were whistling
in the trees
Where the wind was gently laughing.

SEVEN DRUNKEN NIGHTS

As I went home on Monday night,
as drunk as drunk could be.
I saw a horse outside the door,
where my old horse should be.
I called my wife and I said to her:
Will you kindly tell to me,
who owns that horse outside the door,
where my old horse should be?
Oh, you're drunk, you're drunk
you silly old fool, and still you cannot see.
That's a lovely sow that my mother sent to me.
Well, it's many a day I've traveled, a hundred miles or more,
but a saddle on a sow, sure, I never saw before.

As I went home on Tuesday night,
as drunk as drunk could be.
I saw a coat behind the door,
where my old coat should be.
I called my wife and I said to her:
Will you kindly tell to me,
who owns that coat behind the door,
where my old coat should be?
Oh, you're drunk, you're drunk
you silly old fool, and still you cannot see.
That's a woolen blanket that my mother sent to me.
Well, it's many a day I've traveled, a hundred miles or more,
but buttons on a blanket, sure, I never saw before.

As I went home on Wednesday night,
as drunk as drunk could be.
I saw a pipe upon the chair,
where my old pipe should be.
I called my wife and I said to her:
Will you kindly tell to me,
who owns that pipe upon the chair
where my old pipe should be.
Oh, you're drunk, you're drunk
you silly old fool, and still you cannot see.
That's a lovely tin-whistle, that my mother sent to me.
Well, it's many a day I've traveled, a hundred miles or more,
but tobacco in a tin-whistle, sure, I never saw before.

As I came home on Thursday nigh,
as drunk as drunk could be.
I saw two boots beside the bed,
where my old boots should be.
I called my wife and I said to her:
Will you kindly tell to me,
who owns them boots beside the bed
where my old boots should be.
Oh, you're drunk, you're drunk
you silly old fool, and still you cannot see.
They're two lovely flower pots my mother sent to me.
Well, it's many a day I've traveled, a hundred miles or more,
but laces in flower pots I never saw before.

As I came home on Friday night,
as drunk as drunk could be.
I saw a head upon the bed,
where my old head should be.
I called my wife and I said to her:
Will you kindly tell to me,
who owns that head upon the bed,
where my old head should be.
Oh, you're drunk, you're drunk
you silly old fool, and still you cannot see.
That's a baby boy, that my mother sent to me.
Well, it's many a day I've traveled, a hundred miles or more,
but a baby boy with his whiskers on, sure, I never saw before.

As I came home on a Saturday night,
as drunk as drunk could be
I spied two hands upon her breasts,
where my old hands should be.
I called to my wife and I said to her:
Will you kindly tell to me,
Who's hands are these upon your breasts,
where my old hands should be?
Oh, you're drunk, you're drunk,
you silly old fool, and still you cannot see
'Tis nothing but a Living Bra Jane Russell gave to me.
Well, it's many a day I've travelled a hundred miles or more,
but fingernails on a Living Bra, I never saw before.

Now when I came home on Sunday night,
a little after three.
I saw a man running out the door
with his pants about his knee.
So I called to my wife and I said to her:
would you kindly tell to me,
who was that man running out the door
with his pants about his knee?
Oh you're drunk, you're drunk,
you silly old fool, and still you cannot see,
Twas nothing but the tax collector the Queen sent to me.
Well, it's many a day I've travelled, a hundred miles or more,
But an Englishman that could last 'till three I never saw before.

(alternative Sunday verse)

As I came home on Sunday night,
as drunk as drunk could be.
I saw a thing inside my wife,
where my old thing should be.
I called my wife and I said to her: <HEY WIFE>
Would ya kindly tell to me,
who owns that thing inside the thing,
where my old thing should be?
Ah sure, you're drunk, you're drunk
you silly old fool, and still you cannot see.
That's just the lovely English man that me ma she sent to me.
Well, tis' many a night I've traveled, a hundred miles or more,
but a English man who could could stay up past three, sure, I've never seen
before.