Traditional: Collected Lyrics
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Public-domain lyrics

Know'st thou the land

Traditional

“Know'st thou the land” as printed in The Book of Scottish Song (1843).

Traditional: Collected Lyrics Text 218 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

Know'st thou the land of the hardy green thistle,

Where oft o'er the mountain the shepherd's shrill whistle

Is heard in the gloamin' so sweetly to sound,

Where the red blooming heatlier and hair-bell abound?

Know'st thou the land of the mountain and flood,

Where the pine of the forest for ages hath stood,

Where the eagle comes forth on the wings of the storm,

And her young ones are rock'd on the high Cairngor'm?

Know'st thou the land where the cold Celtic wave

Encircles the hills which its blue waters lave;

Where the virgins are pure as the gems of the sea,

And their spirits are light as their actions are free?

'Tis the land of my sires, 'tis the land of my youth,

Where first my young heart glow'd with honour and truth,

Where the wild fire of genius first caught my young soul,

And my feet and my fancy roam'd free from control.

And is there no charm in our own native earth?

Does no talisman rest on the place of our birth?

Are the blue hills of Albyn not worthy our note?

Shall her sons' deeds in war, shall her fair, be forgot?

Then strike the wild lyre, let it swell with the strain;

Let the mighty in arms live and conquer again;

Their past deeds of valour shall we not rehearse,

And the charms of our maidens resound in our verse?

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, “Know'st thou the land”

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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