Traditional: Collected Lyrics
202 / 291
Public-domain lyrics

Jeanie Morrison

Traditional

“Jeanie Morrison” as printed in The Book of Scottish Song (1843).

Traditional: Collected Lyrics Text 202 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

I've wander'd east, I've wander'd west,

Through mony a weary way;

But never, never, can forget

The luve o' life's young day!

The fire that's blawn on Beltane e'en,

May weel be black gin Yule;

But blacker fa' awaits the heart

Where first fond luve grows cule.

O dear, dear Jeanie Morrison,

The thochts o' bygane years

Still fling their shadows ower my path,

And blind my e'en wi' tears:

They blind my e'en wi' saut, saut tears,

And sair and sick I pine,

As memory idly summons up

The blithe blinks o' langsyne.

'Twas then we luvit ilk ither weel,

'Twas then we twa did part;

Sweet time—sad time! twa bairns at schule,

Twa bairns, and but ae heart!

'Twas then we sat on ae laigh bink,

To leir ilk ither lear;

And tones, and looks, and smiles were shed,

Remember'd ever mair.

I wonder, Jeanie, aften yet,

When sitting on that bink,

Cheek touchin' cheek, loof lock'd in loof,

What our wee heads could think?

When baith bent doun ower ae braid page

Wi' ae buik on our knee,

Thy lips were on thy lesson, but

My lesson was in thee.

Oh mind ye how we hung our heads,

How cheeks brent red wi' shame,

Whene'er the schule-weans, laughin', said,

We cleek'd thegither hame?

And mind ye o' the Saturdays,

(The schule then skail't at noon),

When we ran aff to speel the braes—

The broomy braes o' June?

My head rins round and round about,

My heart flows like a sea,

As ane by ane the thochts rush back

O' schule-time and o' thee.

Oh, mornin' life! Oh, mornin' luve!

Oh, lichtsome days and lang,

When hinnied hopes around our hearts,

Like simmer blossoms, sprang!

O mind ye, luve, how aft we left

The deavin' dinsome toun,

To wander by the green burnside,

And hear its water croon;

The simmer leaves hung ower our heads,

The flowers burst round our feet,

And in the gloamin' o' the wud,

The throssil whusslit sweet.

The throssil whusslit in the wud,

The burn sung to the trees,

And we, with Nature's heart in tune,

Concerted harmonies;

And on the knowe abune the burn,

For hours thegither sat

In the silentness o' joy, till baith

Wi' very gladness grat!

Aye, aye, dear Jeanie Morrison,

Tears trinkled down your cheek,

Like dew-beads on a rose, yet nane

Had ony power to speak!

That was a time, a blessed time,

When hearts were fresh and young,

When freely gush'd all feelings forth,

Unsyllabled—unsung!

I marvel, Jeanie Morrison,

Gin I ha'e been to thee

As closely twined wi' earliest thochts

As ye ha'e been to me?

Oh! tell me gin their music fills

Thine ear as it does mine;

Oh! say gin e'er your heart grows grit

Wi' dreamings o' langsyne?

I've wander'd east, I've wander'd west,

I've borne a weary lot;

But in my wanderings, far or near,

Ye never were forgot.

The fount that first burst frae this heart,

Still travels on its way;

And channels deeper as it rins

The luve o' life's young day.

O dear, dear Jeanie Morrison,

Since we were sinder'd young,

I've never seen your face, nor heard

The music o' your tongue;

But I could hug all wretchedness,

And happy could I die,

Did I but ken your heart still dream'd

O' bygane days 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, “Jeanie Morrison”

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