Robert Tannahill: Collected Lyrics
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Public-domain lyrics

Gloomy Winter's now awa

Robert Tannahill

“Gloomy Winter's now awa” as printed in The Scottish Minstrel (First Series) (1850).

Robert Tannahill: Collected Lyrics Text 8 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

Gloomy winter's now awa,

Saft the westlin' breezes blaw :

'Mang the birks o' Stanley-shaw

The mavis sings fa' eleerie, O.

Sweet the craw-flower's early bell

Deeks Gleniffer's dewy dell,

Blooming like thy bonnie sel',

My young, my artless dearie, O.

Come, my lassie, let us stray,

O'er Glenkilloch's sunny brae,

Blythely spend the gowden day

'Midst joys that never wearie, O.

Verse 2

Towering o'er the Newton woods,

Laverocks fan the snaw-white clouds;

Siller saughs, wi' downie buds,

Adorn the banks sae brierie, O.

Round the sylvan fairy nooks,

Feath'ry braikens fringe the roeks;

Neath the brae the burnie jouks,

And ilka thing is cheerie, O.

Trees may bud, and birds may sing,

Flowers may bloom, and verdure spring,

Joy to me they canna bring,

Unless wi' thee, my dearie, O.

Credits

Written by Robert Tannahill

Words by Robert Tannahill. 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), “Gloomy Winter's now awa”

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.
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