Robert Gilfillan: Collected Lyrics
01 / 1
Public-domain lyrics

O why left I my hame

Robert Gilfillan

“O why left I my hame” as printed in The Scottish Minstrel (First Series) (1850).

Robert Gilfillan: Collected Lyrics Text 1 1850 · historical text
Public domainScottish songFolk
Complete public-domain lyrics

This text comes from The Scottish Minstrel (First Series), a historical songbook transcribed on Wikisource and reproduced from the pinned revision linked below.

Verse 1

Oh, why left I my hame? Why did I cross the deep?

Oh, why left I the land where my forefathers sleep?

I sigh for Scotia's shore, and I gaze across the sea,

But I canna get a blink o' my ain countrie.

Verse 2

The palm-tree waveth high, and fair the myrtle springs,

And to the Indian maid the bulbul sweetly sings;

But I dinna see the broom wi' its tassels on the lea,

Nor hear the lintie's sang o' my ain countrie.

Oh! here no Sabbath bell awakes the Sabbath morn,

Nor song of reapers heard among the yellow corn:

For the tyrant's voice is here, and the wail of slaverie;

But the sun of freedom shines in my ain countrie.

Verse 3

There's a hope for every woe, and a balm for every pain,

But the first joys of our heart come never back again.

There's a track upon the deep, and a path across the sea,

But the weary ne'er return to their ain countrie.

Credits

Written by Robert Gilfillan

Words by Robert Gilfillan. Historical text published in The Scottish Minstrel (First Series) (1850); public domain. No claim to a modern recording or arrangement.

Source & text edition

The Scottish Minstrel (First Series) (1850), “O why left I my hame”

Every contribution in this 1850 anthology predates modern copyright terms; any contributor died more than 130 years ago, so the text is in the public domain worldwide.

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