Traditional: Collected Lyrics
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Public-domain lyrics

Hills o' Caledonia

Traditional

“Hills o' Caledonia” as printed in The Book of Scottish Song (1843).

Traditional: Collected Lyrics Text 162 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

O years ha'e come, an' years ha'e gane,

Sin' first I trod the warld alane,

Sin' first I mused wi' heart sae fain

On the hills o' Caledonia.

But now, alas! a' round is gloom,

My ancient friends are in the tomb,

And o'er them waves the heather bloom,

On the hills o' Caledonia.

My father's name, my father's lot,

Is like a tale that's heeded not,

Or sang unsung, if no forgot,

On the hills o' Caledonia.

O' a' our house there's left nae stane,

A' swept away like snaw lang gane;

Weeds flourish owre the auld domain,

On the hills o' Caledonia.

The Tiot's banks are bare and high,

The stream rins sma' an' mournfu' by,

Like some sad heart maist grutten dry

On the hills o' Caledonia.

The birds sit silent on the tree,

The wild flow'rs droop upon the lea,

As if the kind things felt wi' me

On the hills o' Caledonia.

But friends can live, though cauld they lie,

If mirror'd in the memory;

When we forget them—then they die

On the hills o' Caledonia.

But though, however changed the scene,

My mem'ry an' my feelings green,

Yet green to my auld heart an' een

Are the hills o' Caledonia.

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, “Hills o' Caledonia”

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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