By yon bonnie banks, and by yon bonnie braes
Where the sun shines bright on Loch Lomond
There me and my true love spent mony happy days
On the bonnie, bonnie banks o' 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
But trouble it is there, and mony hearts are sair
On the bonnie, bonnie banks o' Loch Lomond.
'Twas there that we parted in yon bonnie glen
On the steep, steep side o' Ben Lomond
Where in purple hue the Highland hills we view
And the moon glints out in the gloamin'.
There the wild flowers spring and the wee birdies sing
And in sunshine the waters are sleepin'
But the broken heart it kens nae second spring again
Though resigned we may be while we're greetin'
Loch Lomond
There are many versions and stories about the origins of this song. Also
many people have been attributed to writing both the music and lyrics. It is
believed that Donald McDonnell of Clan Keppoch wrote this version of Loch Lomond.
The Jacobite Rebellion came to an end with the Jacobites disastrous loss
at the Battle of Culloden, April 16, 1746. After the battle, the English took
many of the captured Scottish soldiers to Carlisle, where they were imprisoned
at Carlisle Castle. The English treated the Scotsmen rather capriciously,
selecting some -- apparently at random -- to be hanged. Others, also seemingly
chosen at random, were simply released, and told to walk home, over the roads,
to Scotland.
One of the captured Scottish soldiers was Donald MacDonald. He felt sure
that he would be one of those hanged by the English, and he wrote this song. One
can suppose it was meant as a memorial, a message of hope for his fellow
Scotsmen, and a last love letter to his beloved Moira, who lived back in the
Scottish highlands, near Loch Lomond.
The song is written to be sung not by Donald, but by Moira. It tells of the journey of Donald’s spirit after his death. He returns to Scotland not by the high road -- the ordinary road over which his countrymen are walking home -- but by the low road of death, a much faster and surer route. Donald’s spirit visits Moira and makes love to her one last time. But she can tell that he is gone, and that she will not see him again, in this life.
If you are using Netscape to play the tune click on the play button.
