Traditional: Collected Lyrics
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Public-domain lyrics

Habbie's frae hame

Traditional

“Habbie's frae hame” as printed in The Book of Scottish Song (1843).

Traditional: Collected Lyrics Text 136 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

By the side o' yon cleugh, whare the burnie rins still,

A lassie sat sighing and spinning her lane:

"O gin the waes o' my heart wad lie still!

There'll never be peace till our Habbie comes hame.

"As my wheel it gaes round, and my lint tap I spread,

Lint that I mean for bibs to my bairn;

The warp shall be blue and the waft shall be red,

An' how braw we'll be a' when our Habbie comes hame.

"That morning he left us our cock never crew,

Our grey clocking hen she gaed kecking her lane;

The gowk frae the craft never cried cuckoo,

That wearyfu' morning our Habbie left hame.

"When the wind blaws loud and tirls our strae,

An' a' our house sides are dreeping wi' rain,

An' ilka burn rows frae the bank to the brae,

I weep for our Habbie who rows i' the main.

"When the wars are owre, and quiet is the sea,

On board the Culloden our Hab will come hame;

My slumbers will then be as sweet as the Dee,

An' how blythe we'll be a' when our Habbie comes hame."

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, “Habbie's frae hame”

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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