Traditional Scottish Songs
- The Piper o' Dundee

Travelling musicians were very popular before the days of theatres and concert halls.


The Piper o' Dundee

The piper came to our town,
To our town, to our town
The piper came to our town
And he played so bonnielie
He play'd a spring the laird to please
A spring brent new from 'yont the seas
And then he gae his bags a squeeze
And played anither key

Chorus:
And wasna he a rougey, a rougey, a rougey,
And wasna he a rougey, the piper o' Dundee

He play'd "The Welcome Ower the Main"
And "Ye's Be Fou and I'se be Fain"
And "Auld Stuart's Back Again"
Wi' muckle mirth and glee.
He play'd "The Kirk", he play'd "The Queen"
"The Mullin Dhu" and "Chevalier"
And "Lang Awa' But Welcome Here"
Sae sweet, sae bonnielie

Chorus

It's some gat swords and some gat nane
And some were dancing mad their lane
And mony a vow o' weir was ta'en
That night at Amulrie.
There was Tillibardine, and Burleigh
And Struan, Keith, and Olgivie,
And brave Carnegie, wha' but he,
The piper o' Dundee.

Chorus

Meaning of unusual words:
brent=advance quickly
fou=drunk
fain=amorous
muckle=a lot
weir=war

Return to the Index of Traditional Scottish Songs



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