William Mcgonagall

Ither laddies mey hae finer claes, an mey be better fed,

But nane o them a' haes sic a bonnie curly heid,

Or sic a blythe blink in their ee,

As my ain curly fair-haired laddie, Little Jamie.

When I gang oot tae tak a walk wi him, alang the Magdalen Green,

It maks my hert feel lichtsome tae see him sae sherp an keen,

An he pous the wee gowans, an gies them to me,

My ain curly fair-haired laddie, Little Jamie.

When he rises in the mornin an gets oot o bed,

He says, mither, mind ye'll need tae toast my faither's breid.

For he aye gies me a bawbee;

He's the best little laddie that ever I did see,

My ain curly fair-haired laddie, Little Jamie.

When I gang oot tae tak a walk alang the streets o Dundee,

An views a' the little laddies that chances to see,

Nane o them a' seems sae lovely to me,

As my ain curly fair-haired laddie, Jamie.

The laddie is handsome an fair to be seen,

He haes a bonnie cheerie mou, an twa blue e'en,

An he prattles like an auld grandfaither richt merrily;

He's the funniest little laddie that ever I did see,

My ain curly fair-haired laddie, Little Jamie,

Whene'er that he kens I am comin hame frae my wark,

He runs oot tae meet me as cheerfu as the lark,

An he says, faither, I'm wantin juist ae bawbee,

My ain curly fair-haired laddie, Little Jamie.

O a' the toons that I've been in,

I dearly loes Dundee,

It's there the bonnie lassie lives,

The lass I love to see.

Her face is fair, broun is her hair,

An dark blue is her ee,

An abuin a' the lasses e'er I saw,

There's name like her to me-

The bonnie broun-haired lassie o Bonnie Dundee.

I see her in my nicht dreams,

Wi her bonnie blue ee,

An her face it is the fairest,

That ever I did see;

An abuin a' the lassies e'er I saw,

There's nane like her to me,

For she maks my hert feel lichtsome,

An I'm aye richt gled to see-

The bonnie broun-haired lassie o Bonnie Dundee.

Her een, they beam wi innocence,

Maist lovely for to see,

An her hert it is as free frae guile,

As a child on its mither's knee;

An abuin a' the lasses e'er I saw,

There's nane like her to me,

For she aye seems sae happy,

An haes a blythe blink in her ee-

The bonnie broun-haired lassie o Bonnie Dundee.

The lassie is tidy in her claes,

Baith neat an clean to see;

An her body's sma' an slender,

An a neat fit haes she;

An abuin a' the lassies e'er I saw,

There's nane like her to me -

The bonnie broun-haired lassie o Bonnie Dundee.

She sings like the nichtingale,

Richt merrily, or a wee lintie,

Wi its hert fou o glee,

An she's as frisky as a bee;

An abuin a' the lassies e'er I saw,

There's nane like her to me -

The bonnie broun-haired lassie o Bonnie Dundee.

The lassie is as handsome

As the lily on the lea,

An her mou it is as reid

As a cherry on the tree;

An she's a' the warld to me,

The bonnie broun-haired lassie

Wi the bonnie blue ee,

She's the joy o my hert

An the flouer o Dundee.

Ye banks an braes o bonnie Tay,

Whaur me an my Mary aft did stray;

But noo she is deid an gane far away,

Sae I maun murn for lovely Mary, the Maid o the Tay.

The first time I met her was in the month o May,

An the sun was shinin bricht on the Silvery Tay;

I asked her name an she modestly did say,

"Some fowks ca's me lovely Mary, the Maid o the Tay."

Oh, chairmin Mary o the Tay,

Queen o my saul bi nicht an day;

But noo thoo'r gane an left me here

To weep for you, sweet Mary dear.

Oh, bonnie Mary o the Tay,

Joy o my hert an Queen o May;

Wi thee I aye felt happy an gay

While ramblin wi thee on the banks o the Tay.

Ye banks an braes o bonnie Tay,

Wi my Mary ye seemed ever gay;

But noo ye seem baith dark an drear,

For my puir hert ye canna cheer.

My Mary was handsome an fair to be seen,

She haed bonnie fair hair an twa blue een;

An she was aye happy while we carelessly did stray

Alang the banks o the Silvery Tay.

Oh, Mary dear, I murn thy loss,

To me the warld seems nocht but dross;

Sae I maun murn baith nicht an day

For my lovely Mary, the Maid o the Tay.