Traditional: Collected Lyrics
145 / 291
Public-domain lyrics

Happy Friendship

Traditional

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

Traditional: Collected Lyrics Text 145 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

Here around the ingle bleezing,

Wha sae happy and sae free;

Though the northern wind blaws freezing,

Frien'ship warms baith you and me.

Happy we are a' thegither,

Happy we'll be yin an' a',

Time shall see us a' the blither

Ere we rise to gang awa'.

See the miser o'er his treasure

Gloating wi' a greedy e'e!

Can he feel the glow o' pleasure

That around us here we see?

Can the peer, in silk and ermine,

Ca' his conscience half his own:

His claes are spun an' edged wi' vermin,

Though he stan' afore a throne!

Thus then let us a' be tassing

Aff oxir stoups o' gen'rous flame;

An' while roun' the board 'tis passing,

Raise a sang in friendship's name.

Frien'ship mak's us a' mair happy,

Frien'ship gi'es us a' delight,

Frien'ship consecrates the drappie,

Frien'ship brings us here to-night.

Happy we've been a' thegither,

Happy we've been yin and a',

Time shall find us a' the blither,

When we rise to gang awa'.

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, “Happy Friendship”

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

More from Traditional: Collected Lyrics.

01A good old SongPublic-domain lyrics02I canna be fashedPublic-domain lyrics03It's weel it's nae waurPublic-domain lyrics04'Twas na her bonnie blue e'ePublic-domain lyrics