Traditional Scottish Songs
- The Auld Hoose

Here is another song dealing with nostalgia for yester years. It was written by Carilina Oliphant (Lady Nairne) about her birthplace in Gask, Perthshire.


The Auld Hoose

Oh! the auld hoose, the auld hoose,
What tho' the rooms were wee,
Oh, kind hearts were dwelling there,
And bairnies fu' o' glee.
And wild rose and the jassamine
Still hang upon the wa'
Hoo mony cherished memories
Do they sweet flow'rs reca'.

Oh, the auld Laird, the auld Laird
Sae canty, kind and crouse.
Hoo mony did he welcome there,
His ain wee dear auld hoose.
And the leddy, too, sae genty,
There shelter'd Scoltand's heir,
An' clipt a lock wi' her ain han'
Frae his long yellow hair

The mavis still doth sweetly sing,
The bluebells sweetly blaw.
The bonnie Earn's clear, winding still
But the auld hoose is awa'.
The auld hoose, the auld hoose
Deserted tho' ye be,
There ne'er can be a new hoose,
Will seem sae fair to me.

Still flourishing the auld pear tree
The bairnies liked to see.
And oh hoo often did they speir
When ripe they a' wad be?
The voices sweet, the wee bit feet
Aye runnin' here and there.
The merry shouts oh, whiles we greet
To think we'll hear nae mair.

Meaning of unusual words:
bairnies=children
canty=lively
crouse=courageous
leddy=lady
mavis=song thrush
speir=ask

Return to the Index of Traditional Scottish Songs




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