Traditional
Twa recruiting sergeants came fra the Black Watch
Tae markets and fairs, some recruits for tae catch
But a' that they 'listed was forty and twa:
Enlist my bonnie laddie an' come awa
Chorus
And it's over the mountain and over the main
Through Gibralter, to France and Spain
Git a feather tae your bonnet, and a kilt aboon your knee
Enlist my bonnie laddie and come awa with me.
Oh laddie ye dinna ken the danger that yer in
If yer horses was to fleg, and yer owsen was to rin
This greedy ole farmer, he wouldna pay yer fee
Sae list my bonnie laddie and come awa wi' me
With your tattie porin's and yer meal and kale,
Yer soor sowan' soorin's and yer ill-brewed ale,
Yer buttermilk, yer whey, and yer breid fired raw
Sae list my bonnie laddie and come awa
And its into the barn and out o' the byre
This ole farmer, he thinks ye never tire
It's slavery a' yer life, a life o' low degree
Sae list my bonnie laddie and come awa with me
O laddie if ye've got a sweetheart an' a bairn,
Ye'll easily get rid o' that ill-spun yarn
Twa rattles o' the drum aye and that'll pay it a'
Sae list my bonnie laddie and come awa.
Chorus x 3
Notes:
Aboon: above
Tattie pourin's: water in which pototoes have been boiled.
Soor sooin' sourin's: sowans, a dish made by steeping and
fermenting the husks, seeds, or siftings of oats in water,
then boiling; likely a poor substitute for beer.