Skirlin' an' birlin', tunin' an' croonin',
Reelin' an' skreelin', they piped doun the glen,
Lang Hugh an' black Sandie, Ian Dhu an' wee Dandie,
Wha wad na gang wi' the braw Hielan'men?
Skirlin' an' birlin', tunin' an' croonin',
Reelin' an' skreelin', they piped doun the glen,
Wi' a rout an' a shout, an' a' the lasses out,
Wha wad na gang wi' the braw Hielan'men?
Skirlin' an' birlin', tunin' an' croonin',
Reelin' an' skreelin', they piped doun the glen!
Wi' the hot light o' noon an' the blue sky aboon,
Ilka man sword in han' gaed the braw Hielan'men!
Ken ye why we weep? Think ye that they sleep,
Ilka man on his ain bluidy brae,
Ilk ane whar he died wi' a faeman by his side,
An' the pibroch can wauk him na mae?
Or the news cam' fra the fiel' we ken'd it a' too weel,
Our bonnie bonnie braw Hielan'men!
Not a foot ony stirred to meet the bluidy word,
As the death-roll cam' slow up the glen.
Had ye seen any sight of terror and affright?
Did their ghosts walk in white up the glen?
We saw na ony sight o' terror an' affright,
An' white's no for braw tartaned men!
Fra the hour they gaed that day, oh the glen was fu' o' wae,
Our bonnie bonnie braw Hielan'men!
Sair, sair, an' mair an' mair, our hearts were fu' o' care,
And our een speerit aye doun the glen;
Till ae morn it did befa' that we waukit up a',
An' the light it was sweet, but an' ben,
An' a' that lang day we had na ony wae,
An' no ee cared to speer doun the glen.
Not a lassie but apart hid her wonder in her heart,
An' lay close till the day began to dee,
Lest her canty een confest the secret o' her breast,
For she said, 'They will a' weep but me.'
But when we met at een by the thorn upon the green,
An' the tale we a' tellt was the same,
Not a word mair we said, but lik ane hid her head,
An' kenned that her man was at hame.
