Traditional Scottish Songs
- The Bonniest Lass in a' the Warld

Here's some good advice from Carolina Oliphant (1766-1845) also known by Lady Nairnie. She tells any lass who is concerned about whether she is the "bonniest lass in a' the warld" - that she'll find some lad who will be quite certain that she is just that!


The Bonniest Lass in a' the Warld

The bonniest lass in a' the warld,
   I've often heard them telling,
She's up the hill, she's down the glen,
   She's in yon lonely dwelling.
But nane could bring her to my mind
   Wha lives but in the fancy,
Is't Kate, or Susie, Jean, or May,
   Is't Effie, Bess, or Nancy?

Now lasses a' keep a gude heart,
   Nor e'er envy a comrade,
For be your een black, blue, or gray,
   Ye're bonniest aye to some lad.
The tender heart, the charming smile,
   The truth that ne'er will falter,
Are charms that never can beguile,
   And time can never alter.

Return to the Index of Traditional Scottish Songs




Where else would you like to go in Scotland?








Separator line