24/03/2025
🎶 The Bonnie Banks O' Loch Lomond 🎶
By yon bonnie banks and by yon bonnie braes,
Where the sun shines bright on Loch Lomond,
Where me and my true love were ever wont to g*e,
On the bonnie, bonnie banks o' Loch Lomond.
Oh, ye'll tak the high road, and I'll tak the low road,
And I'll be in Scotland afore ye;
But me and my true love will never meet again
On the bonnie, bonnie banks o' Loch Lomond.
'Twas there that we parted in yon shady glen,
On the steep, steep side o' Ben Lomond,
Where in purple hue the Highland hills we view,
And the moon coming out in the gloamin.
O braw Charlie Stewart, dear true, true heart,
Wha could refuse thee protection,
Like the weeping birk on the wild hillside,
How gracefu he looked in dejection.
There the wild flowers spring and the wee birdies sing,
And in sunshine the waters are sleepin',
But the broken heart it kens nae second spring again,
Though the waefu may cease frae their greetin'.
This song's exact date of its composition is uncertain, but it is widely thought to have been written by a Scottish soldier who had been imprisoned after the Jacobite defeat. The song's lyrics reflect themes of separation and longing, which align with the sentiments of the time, especially regarding the tragic defeat of the Jacobite forces and the subsequent exile of many Scots.
The song’s enduring popularity is also tied to the emotional expression of a love lost due to the political and personal upheaval of the Jacobite cause.
"The Bonnie Banks o' Loch Lomond" has since become a beloved Scottish folk song, though its precise origins remain a bit mysterious it is most commonly associated with the Jacobite Rising of 1745. 🎼 Hear it sung here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=APTR1zjp2OA 🎼
🖼️Horatio McCulloch c.1861
The Jacobite Trail exists to promote the story of the Jacobites and the locations that play a part in it
