Digital Tradition Mirror

Iron Horse

(This score available as ABC, SongWright, PostScript, PNG, or PMW, or a MIDI file)
Pennywhistle notation and Dulcimer tab for this song is also available

Iron Horse

Come hieland men, come lowland men come every man on earth man
And I'll tell you how I got on atween Dundee and Perth, man
I gaed upon an iron road, a rail they did it ca', man
An' ruggit by an iron horse, an awful beast to draw, man

Then first and foremost near the door, there was a wee bit wicket
It was there they gar'd me pay my ride, and they gied me a ticket
I gaed awa' up through a hoose, sat doon upon a kist, man
Tae tak' a look on all I saw on the great big iron beast, man

There was hooses in a long straight raw, a' standing upon wheels, man
And then the chiels that fed the horse were as black as a pair o' de'ils, man
And the ne'er a thing they gied the brute but only coals tae eat, man
He was the queerest beast that e'er I saw, for he had wheels  for feet, man

A chap cam' up and roon his cap he wore a yellow band, man
He bade me gang and tak' my seat; says I "I'd rather stand, man"
He spiered if I was gaun tae Perth, says I, "An that I be, man
But I'm weel enough for whaur I am, because I want tae see, man"

He said I was the greatest fule that e'er he saw on earth, man
For t'was just the hooses on the wheels that gaed frae this tae Perth, man
And then he laughed and wondered hoo I hadna mair discernment
Says I, "The ne'er a ken kent I; I thocht the whole concern went"

The beast it roared and aff we gaed, through water, earth and stanes, man
We ran at sic a fearfu' rate, I thocht we'd brake our banes, man
Till by and by we stoppit at a place ca'ed something Gowrie
But ne'er a word had I tae say, but only sit and glower aye

Then after that, we made a halt and in comes yellow band man
He asked for the ticket and I a' my pockets fand, man
But ne'er a ticket I could get - I tint it on the road, man
So  he gar'd me pay for't ower again, or else gang aff to quod, man

Then after that we crossed the Tay and landit into Perth, man
I vow it was the queerest place that e'er I saw on earth, man
For the houses and the iron horse were far aboon the land, man
And hoo they got them up the stairs I canna understand, man

But noo I'm safely landit and my feet are on the sod, man
When I gang tae Dundee again I'll tak' anither road, man
Though I should tramp upon my feet till I'm nae fit tae stand, man
Catch me again when I'm ta'en in wi' a chap in a yellow band, man

recorded by Ewan MacColl
SOF

Thanks to Mudcat for the Digital Tradition!