James Aitchison: Collected Lyrics
01 / 1
Public-domain lyrics

Gloomy winter's come again

James Aitchison

“Gloomy winter's come again” as printed in The Book of Scottish Song (1843).

James Aitchison: 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

Gloomy winter's come again;

Heavy fa's the sleet and rain;

Flaky snaw decks white the plain,

Whare nature bloom'd sae cheerie, O.

Hoary frost o'erspreads the dell,

Giazing firm each crystal rill;

They mind me o' thy fickle sel',

My fair yet faithless Mary, O.

I lanely tread each trackless way,

Whare wi' thee, Mary, I did stray,

My heart's oppress'd wi' grief and wae,

Thou'rt false, and a' looks drearie, O.

The snaw-clad hills o'ertap the cluds,

The hares rin tim'rous through the wuds,

The trees, forsaken by their buds,

Are emblems o' my Mary, O.

A' around deserted looks,

Tangles fringe the barren rocks.

While bairnies by the ingle nooks,

Tell tales that mak' them eerie, O.

Storms may rage, and tempests roar,

Restless billows beat the shore,

Joy on earth I'll find no more.

Unless I'm blest wi' Mary, O.

Credits

Written by James Aitchison

Words by James Aitchison. 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, “Gloomy winter's come again”

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