The Braes O Balquidder
I will build my love a bower
By yon clear siller fountain
An aroon it I will build
All the flooers o the mountain
Chorus
Will ye go lassie go
Tae the Braes o Balquidder
Whaur the blaeberries grow
Amang the bonnie purple heather
I will roam o’er glens
And bens sae eerie
An I’ll bring back the spoils
Tae the airms o my dearie
Noo it’s high Simmertime
An the flooers are a bloomin
An the wild mountain thyme
On the breezes perfuming
Whaur the deer and the roe
Lichtly bound a thegither
Sport the lang simmer days
On the Braes o Balquidder
A lyric gem made by Paisley weaver-poet Robert Tannahill 200 years ago. This version comes from the singing of poet and playwright Andrew Tannahill, a descendant of the maker. There are
many versions of the song, the tune and words can vary widely. Our transcribed
tune comes from another version which begins,
Now the summer is in prime
Wi’ the flowers richly bloomin’
An’ the wild mountain thyme
A’ the moorlands perfumin’
Will ye go, lassie, go
Tae the Braes o’ Balquidder?
Where the blaeberries grow
‘Mang the bonnie bloomin’ heather
Songs keep going back and forward between Ireland and Scotland. Many people think that the famous song ‘Wild Mountain Thyme’ is a Scottish song. This song was made famous by a group called the McPeake Family, from Northern Ireland, and some say that the song was made up by Francis McPeake 50 years ago.
But their song is clearly based on ‘The Braes O Balquidder’.
