Country Life
Chorus:
I like to rise when the sun she rises, early in the morning
And I like to hear them small birds singing, merrily upon their layland
And hurrah for the life of a country boy, and to ramble in the new mown hay
In spring we sow at the harvest mow
And that is how the seasons round they go
but of all the times to choose I may
I'd be rambling through the new mown hay.
In summer when the summer is hot
We sing, and we dance, and we drink a lot,
we spend all night in sport and play
And go rambling in the new mown hay
In autumn when the oak trees turn
we gather all the wood that's fit to burn,
we cut and stash and stow away
Then go rambling in the new mown hay
In winter when the skies are gray
we hedge and we ditch our times away,
but when summer sun shines so gay,
we go ramblin' through the new mown hay
Rattlin', Roarin' Willie
O, rattlin, roarin Willie,
When he came to the fair,
For to sell his fiddle
An buy some other ware;
But parting wi' his fiddle,
The salt tear blind his e'e-
Oh rattlin, roarin Willie,
Yer welcome home to me.
O Willie, come sell your fiddle,
O, sell your fiddle sae fine!
O Willie, come sell your fiddle,
And buy a pint o wine!
If I should sell my fiddle,
The warl' would think I was mad;
For many’s a rantin day
My fiddle and I have had.
As I cam by Crochallan,
I cannilie keekit ben;
Rattlin, roaring Willie,
Was sittin at yon boord-en';
Sitting at yon boord-en',
And amang guid companie;
Rattlin, roarin Willie,
Yer welcome home to me.
Queen of Argyll
Gentle men it is my duty
To inform you of one beauty
Though I'd ask you of a favour,
Not to seek her for a while
Though I own she is a creature
Of character and feature
No words can paint the picture
of the Queen of all Argyll.
Chorus:
And if you could have seen her there
Boys if you had just been there
The swan was in her movement,
And the morning in her smile
All the roses in the garden,
They bow and ask her pardon
For not one could match the beauty
Of the queen of all Argyll.
On that evening that I mention,
I passed with light intention
Through a part of our dear country
Known for beauty and for style
Being a place of noble thinkers,
Of scholars and great drinkers
But above them all for splendour
Shone the Queen of all Argyll
So my lads my needs must leave you,
My intention's no to grieve you
Nor indeed would I deceive you,
Oh I'll see you in a while
I must find some way to gain her,
To court her and to tame her
I fear my heart's in danger
From the Queen of all Argyll
Jolly Rovin’ Tar
Ships may come and ships may go, as long as the sea does roll
Each sailor lad just like his dad, he loves the flowin’ bowl
A trip ashore he does adore, with a girl who’s nice and round
But when the money’s gone, it’s the same old song
Get up Jack, John sit down
Chorus:
Come along, come along, ye jolly brave boys
There’s lots of grog in the jar
We’ll plough the briny ocean with the jolly rovin’ tar
When Jack comes in it’s then he’ll steer to some old boarding house
They’ll welcome him with rum and gin and feed him on pork scouse
He’ll lend, spend and he’ll not offend till he’s lying drunk on the ground
But when the money’s gone, it’s the same old song
Get up Jack, John sit down
Jackie then, ah then he’ll sail, bound out for Newfoundland
All the ladies fair in Placentia there they love that sailor man
He’ll go to shore out on a tear and he’ll buy some girl a gown
But when the money’s gone, it’s the same old song
Get up Jack, John sit down
When Jack gets old and weatherbeat, too old to roam around
They’ll let him stop in some rum shop till eight bells calls him out,
Then he’ll raise his eyes up to the skies, saying
“Boys we're homeward bound”…
But when the money’s gone, it’s the same old song
Get up Jack, John sit down!
Open Skies
They say that you can never go back,
and recapture the life you once had
'Cause where you live and who you are now
are a part of you whether good or bad
And now here I stand and in front of me
is my childhood from memory
Friends who we call family,
and that’s who they’ll always be
Under the open skies, that seem to go on and
Chorus:
On, now I’ve come home here today
Years, they have gone by, oh but nothing’s changed
Faces are older, but the smiles never fade away
Born and bred a prairie girl
From a little town not far from here,
we moved away, some time ago
To search for something so many years
I guess you have to come full circle
To realize what you left behind
You are always welcome back at home
Even if it’s just in your mind
Under the open skies,
that seem to go on and
On, now I’ve come home here today
Years, they have gone by, oh but nothing’s changed
Faces are older, but the smiles never fade away...
fade away... fade away
P Stands for Paddy
As I went out on a bright May morn to take a pleasant walk,
I sat behind an old stone wall to hear two lovers talk,
To hear what they might say, my friend - to hear what they might say,
So I might learn more about life before I'm on my way.
Chorus:
P stands for Paddy, I suppose - J for my love John,
W stands for false Willie-o; Johnny is the fairest man,
Johnny is the fairest man, she said, Johnny is the fairest man.
Today I give my love to him, Johnny is the fairest man.
Don't you sit down by me, he said, now or any other time,
For I hear you have another little lad, and your heart's no longer mine,
Your heart's no longer mine, he said, your heart's no longer mine,
For I hear you have another little lad, and your heart's no longer mine.
I'll take you up to a tall, tall tree - up to a wild bird's nest,
And, When I come down, I'll care no more about the girl that I love best,
The girl that I love best, he said, the girl that I love best,
When I come down, I'll care no more about the girl that I love best.
V'la l'bon vent
Refrain:
V'là l'bon vent, v'là l'joli vent
V'là l'bon vent m'amie m'appelle
V'là l'bon vent, v'là l'joli vent
V'là l'bon vent m'amie m'attend.
Derrièr' chez-nous, y a-t-un étang
Trois beaux canards s'en vont baignant
Le fils du roi s'en va chassant
Avec son grand fusil d'argent
Visa le noir, tua le blanc
O fils du roi, tu es méchant
D'avoir tué mon canard blanc
Par dessous l'aile il perd son sang
Par les yeux lui sort'nt des diamants
Et par le bec, l'or et l'argent
Toutes ses plumes s'en vont au vent
Trois dames s'en vont les ramassant
C'est pour en faire un lit de camp
Pour y coucher tous les passants
Derrièr' chez-nous, y a-t-un étang
Deux beaux canards s'en vont baignant.
Loch Lomond
By yon bonnie banks and by yon bonnie braes,
Where the sun shines bright on Loch Lomond
Where me and my true love would ever wont to be,
On the bonnie, bonnie banks of Loch Lomond
Chorus:
Oh ye’ll tak’ the high road and I’ll tak’ the low road,
And I’ll be in Scotland before ye
For me and my true love will never meet again,
On the bonnie, bonnie banks of Loch Lomond
‘Twas there that we parted by yon shady glen,
On the steep, steep side of Ben Lomond
Where in deep purple hue, the hieland hills we view,
And the moon shining in the gloaming
