Traditional: Collected Lyrics
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Public-domain lyrics

Ae Happy Hour

Traditional

“Ae Happy Hour” as printed in The Book of Scottish Song (1843).

Traditional: Collected Lyrics Text 19 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

The dark gray o' gloaming,

The lone leafy shaw,

The coo o' the ringdove,

The scent o' the haw,

The brae o' the burnie,

A' blooming in flower,

An' twa faithfu' lovers,

Make ae happy hour.

A kind winsome wifie,

A clean canty hame,

An' sweet smiling babies

To lisp the dear name;

Wi' plenty o' labour,

And health to endure,

Make time row around aye

The ae happy hour.

Ye lost to affection,

Whom av'rice can move,

To woo, an' to marry,

For a' thing but love,

Awa' wi' your sorrows,

Awa' wi' your store,

Ye ken nae the pleasures

O' ae happy hour.

Credits

Written by Traditional

Traditional words. 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, “Ae Happy Hour”

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.
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