| |
| O WEEL may the boatie row, | |
| And better may it speed; | |
| And liesome may the boatie row | |
| That wins the bairnies’ bread! | |
| The boatie rows, the boatie rows, | 5 |
| The boatie rows fu’ weel; | |
| And meikle luck attend the boat, | |
| The murlain and the creel! | |
| |
| I cuist my line in Largo Bay, | |
| And fishes I caught nine; | 10 |
| There’s three to boil, and three to fry, | |
| And three to bait the line. | |
| The boatie rows, the boatie rows, | |
| The boatie rows indeed; | |
| And weel may the boatie row | 15 |
| That wins my bairnies’ bread. | |
| |
| O weel may the boatie row | |
| That fills a heavy creel, | |
| And cleeds us a’ frae tap to tae, | |
| And buys our parritch meal! | 20 |
| The boatie rows, the boatie rows, | |
| The boatie rows indeed, | |
| And happy be the lot of a’ | |
| That wish the boatie speed! | |
| |
| When Jamie vowed he wad be mine, | 25 |
| And won frae me my heart, | |
| O meikle lighter grew my creel; | |
| He swore we’d never part. | |
| The boatie rows, the boatie rows, | |
| The boatie rows fu’ weel; | 30 |
| And meikle lighter is the load | |
| When love bears up the creel. | |
| |
| My kertch I put upon my head, | |
| And dressed mysel’ fu’ braw; | |
| But dowie, dowie was my heart | 35 |
| When Jamie gaed awa’. | |
| But weel may the boatie row, | |
| And lucky be her part; | |
| And lightsome be the lassie’s care, | |
| That yields an honest heart! | 40 |
| |
| When Sandy, Jock, and Janetie, | |
| Are up, and gotten lear, | |
| They’ll help to gar the boatie row, | |
| And lighten a’ our care. | |
| The boatie rows, the boatie rows, | 45 |
| The boatie rows fu’ weel; | |
| And lightsome be her heart that bears | |
| The murlain and the creel! | |
| |
| When we are auld, and sair bowed down, | |
| And hirplin at the door, | 50 |
| They’ll row to keep us dry and warm, | |
| As we did them before. | |
| Then weel may the boatie row, | |
| And better may it speed, | |
| And happy be the lot of a’ | 55 |
| That wish the boatie speed! | |
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