Come, all ye jolly shepherds, That whistle through the glen, I'll tell ye o' a secret that courtiers dinna ken. What is the greatest bliss that the tongue o' man can name? 'Tis to woo a bonnie lassie, when the kye come hame, When the kye come hame, when the kye come hame, Tween the gloamin' and the mirk, When the kye come hame. 'Tis not beneath the burgonet Nor yet beneath the crown, 'Tis not on couch of velvet Nor yet on bed of down; 'Tis beneath the spreading birch In the dell without a name, Wi' a bonnie, bonnie lassie When the kye come hame.
Awa' wi' fame and fortune: What comforts can they gi'e? And a' the arts that prey upon Man's life and liberty! Gi'e me the highest joy That the heart o' man can frame: My bonnie, bonnie lassie When the kye come hame.
Meaning of unusual words: Kye=cattle gloamin'=dusk, twilight mirk=dark, night