Bonnie Charlie's now awa',
Safely owre the friendly main;
Mony a heart will break in twa,
Should he no' come back again.

Chorus
Will ye no come back again?
Will ye no come back again?
Better lo'ed ye canna be,
Will ye no come back again?

Ye trusted in your Hieland men,
They trusted you, dear Charlie;
They kent you hiding in the glen.
Your cleadin' was but barely.
Chorus

We watched you in the gloamin' hour,
We watched thee in the mornin' grey;
Tho' thirty thousand pounds they'd gie,
Oh, there was nane that wad betray.
Chorus

Mony a traitor 'mange the isles
Brak the band o' nature's laws;
Mony a traitor wi' his wiles,
Sought to wear his life awa'.
Chorus

Many a gallant sodger gaught,
Mony a gallant chief did fa,
Death itself were dearly bought,
A' for Scotland's king and law.
Chorus

Whene'er I hear the blackbird sing,
Unto the evening sinking down,
Or merl that makes the wood to ring,
To me they hae nae other sound.
Chorus

Sweet the lav'rock's note and lang,
Lilting wildly up the glen;
And aye the o'erworld o' he sang,
"Will he no' come back again?"
Chorus

Carolina Oliphant, (Lady Nairne), 1766-1845. Charles Edward Stuart "Bonnie Prince Charlie" or the Young Pretender, was the last Stuart claimant to the British throne. He led the Jacobite Rebellion of 1745, which ended at the Battle of Culloden. After the battle legend has it he escaped with the help of Flora MacDonald. He wandered around Europe for a few years but was never able to further his cause.

Return To Scottish Songs