Traditional Scottish Songs
- Neil Gow's "Fareweel to Whisky"
Neil Gow's "Fareweel to Whisky"
Ye've surely heard o famous Neil,
The man that played the fiddle weel;
I wat he was a canty chiel.
An' dearly lo'ed the whisky, O.
An' aye sin he wore tartan hose,
He dearly lo'ed the Athole Brose;
An' wae was he, you may suppose,
To bid fareweel to whisky, O.Alake, quo' Neil, I'm frail an' auld,
And find my bluid grows unco cauld,
I think it maks me blythe and bauld,
A wee drop Highland whisky, O.
But a' the doctors do agree
That whisky's no the drink for me;
I'm fleyed they'll gar me tyne my glee,
Should they part me and whisky, O.But I should mind on 'auld lang syne',
How paradise our friends did tyne,
Because something ran in their min'-
Forbid, like Highland whisky, O.
While I can get both wine and ale,
And find my head and fingers hale,
I'll be content, though legs should fail,
And though forbidden whisky, O.I'll tak my fiddle in my hand,
And screw the strings up while they stand,
And mak a lamentation grand
For guid auld Highland whisky, O!
O! a' ye pow'rs o music, come.
I find my heart grows unco glum;
My fiddlestrings will hardly bum
To say, 'Fareweel to whisky, O'.Meaning of unusual words:
canty=lively
fleyed=afraid
gar=make
tyne=lose
bum=sound
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