Traditional: Collected Lyrics
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Public-domain lyrics

How eerily, how drearily

Traditional

“How eerily, how drearily” as printed in The Book of Scottish Song (1843).

Traditional: Collected Lyrics Text 166 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

How eerily, how drearily, how wearily to pine,

When my love's in a foreign land, far frae thae arms o' mine,

Three years ha'e come an' gane sin' first he said to me,

That he wad stay at hame wi' Jean, wi' her to live and die;

The day comes in wi' sorrow now, the night is wild and drear,

An' every hour that passeth by, I water wi' a tear.

I kiss my bonnie baby, I clasp it to my breast,

Ah! aft wi' sic a warm embrace its father hath me prest!

And whan I gaze upon its face, as it lies upon my knee,

The crystal draps out owre my cheeks will fa' frae ilka e'e,

O! mony a mony a burning tear upon its face will fa',

For oh! it's like my bonnie love, an' he is far awa'.

Whan the spring-time had gane by and the rose began to blaw,

An' the harebell an' the violet adorn'd ilk bonnie shaw,

'Twas then my love cam' courtin' me, and wan my youthfu' heart,

An' mony a tear it cost my love, ere he could frae me part,

But though he's in a foreign land, far far across the sea,

I ken my Jamie's guileless heart is faithfu' unto me.

Ye wastlin' win's upon the main, blaw wi' a steady breeze,

And waft my Jamie hame again across the roarin' seas,

O! when he clasps me in his arms, in a' his manly pride,

I'll ne'er exchange that ae embrace for a' the world beside.

Then blow a steady gale, ye win's, waft him across the sea,

And bring my Jamie hame again to his wee bairn and me.

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, “How eerily, how drearily”

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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