O CAM ye here the fight to shun,
Or herd the sheep wi me, man?
Or were ye at the Sherra-moor,
Or did the battle see, man?
I saw the battle, sair and teugh,
And reekin-red ran mony a sheugh;
My heart, for fear, gaed sough for sough,
To hear the thuds, and see the cluds
O clans frae woods, in tartan duds,
Wha glaumd at kingdoms three, man.
La, la, la, la, &c.
The red-coat lads, wi black cockauds,
To meet them were na slaw, man;
They rushd and pushd, and blude outgushd
And mony a bouk did fa, man:
The great Argyle led on his files,
I wat they glanced twenty miles;
They houghd the clans like nine-pin kyles,
They hackd and hashd, while braid-swords, clashd,
And thro they dashd, and hewd and smashd,
Till fey men died awa, man.
La, la, la, la, &c.
But had ye seen the philibegs,
And skyrin tartan trews, man;
When in the teeth they dard our Whigs,
And covenant True-blues, man:
In lines extended lang and large,
When baiginets oerpowerd the targe,
And thousands hastend to the charge;
Wi Highland wrath they frae the sheath
Drew blades o death, till, out o breath,
They fled like frighted dows, man!
La, la, la, la, &c.
O how deil, Tam, can that be true?
The chase gaed frae the north, man;
I saw mysel, they did pursue,
The horsemen back to Forth, man;
And at Dunblane, in my ain sight,
They took the brig wi a their might,
And straught to Stirling wingd their flight;
But, cursed lot! the gates were shut;
And mony a huntit poor red-coat,
For fear amaist did swarf, man!
La, la, la, la, &c.
My sister Kate cam up the gate
Wi crowdie unto me, man;
She swoor she saw some rebels run
To Perth unto Dundee, man;
Their left-hand general had nae skill;
The Angus lads had nae gude will
That day their neibors blude to spill;
For fear, for foes, that they should lose
Their cogs o brose; they scard at blows,
And hameward fast did flee, man.
La, la, la, la, &c.
Theyve lost some gallant gentlemen,
Amang the Highland clans, man!
I fear my Lord Panmure is slain,
Or fallen in Whiggish hands, man,
Now wad ye sing this double fight,
Some fell for wrang, and some for right;
But mony bade the world gude-night;
Say, pell and mell, wi muskets knell
How Tories fell, and Whigs to hell
Flew off in frighted bands, man!
La, la, la, la, &c.