Ebenezer Picken: Collected Lyrics
01 / 1
Public-domain lyrics

Blythe are we set

Ebenezer Picken

“Blythe are we set” as printed in The Book of Scottish Song (1843).

Ebenezer Picken: Collected Lyrics Text 1 1843 · historical text
Public domainScottish songFolk
Complete public-domain lyrics

This text comes from The Book of Scottish Song, edited by Alexander Whitelaw, a historical songbook transcribed on Wikisource and reproduced from the pinned revision linked below.

Verse 1

Blythe are we set wi' ither;

Fling care ayont the moon;

Nae sae aft we meet thegither!

Wha wad think o' parting soon?

Though snaw bends down the forest trees,

And burn and river cease to flow;

Though nature's tide has shor'd to freeze,

And winter nithers a' below.

Blythe are we, &c.

Now, round the ingle cheerly met,

We'll scog the blast and dread nae harm,

Wi' jaws o' toddy reeking het,

We'll keep the genial current warm.

The friendly crack, the cheerfu' sang,

Shall cheat the happy hours awa',

Gar pleasure reign the e'ening lang,

And laugh at biting frost and snaw.

Blythe are we, &c.

The cares that cluster round the heart,

And gar the bosom stound wi' pain,

Shall get a fright afore we part,

Will gar them fear to come again.

Then, fill about, my winsome chiels,

The sparkling glass will banish pine:

Nae pain the happy bosom feels,

Sae free o' care as yours and mine.

Blythe are we, &c.

Credits

Written by Ebenezer Picken

Words by Ebenezer Picken. Historical text published in The Book of Scottish Song (1843); public domain. No claim to a modern recording or arrangement.

Source & text edition

The Book of Scottish Song (1843), edited by Alexander Whitelaw, “Blythe are we set”

Every contribution in this 1843 anthology predates modern copyright terms by more than a century; any contributor died at least 130 years ago, so the text is in the public domain worldwide (life+70 terms expired no later than 2020).

How to read this historical text and its source

Read the source on Wikisource

View copyright evidence · Transcription terms (CC BY-SA 4.0)

Retrieved 2026-10-12. Line spacing and section labels are adapted for reading. The displayed text follows the linked edition. Editorial notes and abstract artwork are by 52lyrics.
Keep tracing

Keep reading the classics.

01Fight Fiercely, HarvardPublic-domain lyrics02The Old Dope PeddlerPublic-domain lyrics03Be PreparedPublic-domain lyrics04The Wild West Is Where I Want to BePublic-domain lyrics