Henry's Songbook

Farewell, farewell, beggarly Scotland, cold and beggarly poor countrie
If ever I cross thy border again the muckle de'il must carry me
There's but one tree in a' the land, and that's the bonnie gallows tree
The very rowte look to the south and wish that they had wings to flee

Go get thee gone thou dastardly loon, go get thee to thine own countrie
If ever you cross the border again the muckle de'il accompany thee
There's mony a tree in fair Scotland and there is ain, the gallows tree
On which we hang the Irish rogues, a fitting place it is for thee

Farewell, farewell, beggarly Scotland, brose and bannocks, crowdie and kale
Welcome, welcome, jolly old England, laughing lasses and foaming ale
'Twas when I cam' to merry Carlisle that oot I laughed loud laughters three
And if I cross the Sark again the muckle de'il maun carry me

Go get thee gone thou dastardly loon, too good for thee is brose and kale
We've lads and ladies gay in the land, bonnie lassies and nut-brown ale
When I goes to merrie Carlisle, what if I cry loud laughters three
But though that most of our beggarly clan come from the holy land like thee

Farewell, farewell, beggarly Scotland, kiltit kimmers wi' carroty hair
Pipers, who beg that their honours would buy a bawbee's worth o' their famished air
I'd rather keep Cadwaller's goats, and feast upon toasted cheese and leeks
Than go back again to the beggarly North tae herd 'mang loons with bottomless breeks

Oh get thee gone now, beggarly loon, on thee our maidens refuse to smile
Our pipers they scorn to beg from thee a harsh dark night of the Emerald Isle
Go rather and herd thy fathers pigs and feed them taters and water logue(?)
But return not to the princely North, land of the cap and the bonnet and kilt

Farewell, farewell, beggarly Scotland, cold and beggarly poor countrie
If ever I cross thy border again the muckle de'il must carry me

muckle - big;
rowte - cattle;
loon - lad, bumpkin;
brose - porridge;
crowdie - oatmeal and water, eaten raw;
kale - colewort;
Sark - river running into the Solway Firth
kimmer - woman;
bawbee - halfpenny;
Cadwall(ad)er - semi-legendary seventh century Welsh king and national hero

(as sung by The McCalmans)

[1970:] Born in Ettrick Forest, [James Hogg (1770-1835)] spent his early days as a shepherd, but he was discovered by Scott while collecting material for his 'Border Minstrelsy', and taken under that ample wing. He had almost no formal education, [...] but he soon became famous among the famous of his time - helped by his magnificent personality. He farmed most of his life and left a variety of notable works [...]. (Penguin Book of Scottish Verse 15f)