Digital Tradition Mirror

Road tae Dundee

(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

Road tae Dundee

      D                       G             D
Cold winter was turnin' o'er moor and o'er mountain
     G            D            E7           A7
And wild was the surge on the dark rollin' sea
        D                    G            D
When I met aboot daybreak a bonnie young lassie
     G             D            A7        D
That asked me the road and the miles tae Dundee

I said, "My young lassie, I canna weel tell ye
The road and the distance I ne'er can weel gauge
But if ye'll permit me tae gang a wee bittie
I'll show ye the road and the miles tae Dundee

At once she consented and gave me her air-m
[arm
Nae a word did I speir wham that lassie might be   [spare whom
She appeared like an angel in feature and for-m
As she walked by my side on the road tae Dundee

At length with the howe of Strathmartine behind us
                   [hollow of the Martin River valley]
The spires o' the toon in full full view we could see
She said, "Gentle sir, I can never forget ye
For showin' me so far on the road tae Dundee.

This ring and this purse please accept as a token
And surely there's somethin' that ye can gi'e me,
That in years to come I'll the laddie remember
Who showed me the road and the miles to Dundee?"

I took the gold pin frae the scarf on my bosom,
And said, "Tak' ye this, in remembrance o' me",
And bravely I kissed the sweet lips o' the lassie
Ere I pairted wi' her on the road tae Dundee

or:
(So I took the gowd pin frae the scarf on my bosom
And said "Keep ye this in remembrance o' me
So in times to come ye'll the laddie remember
That walked by your side on the road tae Dundee)

So here's tae the lassie, I ne'er will forget her
Tae ilk a young laddie that's list'nin' tae me
Never be sweir to convoy a young lassie
Though it's only to show her the road tae Dundee

From Gavin Anderson
RPf, JB

Thanks to Mudcat for the Digital Tradition!