Henry's Songbook

In Drymen Square so fair and fine
There stands a shop that sells good wine
It's full of whisky, wine and beer
And so are the barroom mountaineers
We're the barroom mountaineers

If you hear a tally-ho, tally--ho, tally-ho
In the middle of the night, in the middle of the night
Don't tremble so, dear hostelite
Just close your eyes and have no fear
It's only a drunken mountaineer
We're the barroom mountaineers

We've never ever climbed a great big hill
And we hope tae hell we never will
For the highest we've climbed is a windae sill
We're the barroom mountaineers

Don't be afraid to look us over
We are very seldom sober
And when we've had enough for four
You'll never see us on the floor
It's up to the bar and yell for mo-o-o-o-ore
We're the barroom mountaineers

From the shores of Balmaha, from the shores of Balmaha
To the hills of Aberfoyle, to the hills of Aberfoyle
From Drymen Square to Glasachoile
We're famous everywhere we go
As a shower of drunken so-and-sos
We're the barroom mountaineers

( The tune changes for each verse)

As sung by Ewan McVicar

[1990:] I sang enthusiastically a Glasgow hiker's ballad I'd heard in Morris Blythman's house in the 1950s. When interviewed [...] I mentioned that I had been unable to find any trace of the writer's name. The floodgates opened. The songs and poems of Davey Clark, a shipyard welder to trade, are still highly valued by the old guard of the hiking fraternity. [...] Pleased with my discovery of authorship, I began to play a game with folk music enthusiasts of my own vintage, asking them who wrote the song, acknowledging their puzzlement and triumphantly announcing my findings. Till one night I met with John Dillon, musician and singer, Rutherglen worthy. 'A poser, John. Who wrote the Barroom Mountaineers?' John looked at me, surprised I should ask. 'Davey Clark, of course. We used to drink in the same pub.' The trick is knowing who to consult.
Many singers admire the sentiments and priorities of this song - the idea of going hillwalking but never getting out of the pub. (McVicar, One Singer One Song 116)