Will Ye Go to Sheriffmuir?

Will ye go tae Sheriffmuir,
Bauld John o'Innisture,
There tae see the noble Mar
And his Hieland laddies.
A' the true men o' the north,
Angus, Huntly, and Seaforth
Scourin' on tae cross the Forth
Wi' their white cockadies.

There ye'll see the banners flare;
There ye'll hear the bagpipes rare,
And the trumpets' deadly blare
Wi' the cannons' rattle.
There ye'll see the bauld McCraws,
Camerons and Clanranald's raws
And a' the clans, wi' loud huzzas,
Rushin' tae the battle.

There ye'll see the noble Whigs,
A' the heroes o' the brigs,
Raw hides and withered wigs,
Ridin' in array, man.
Ri'en hose and raggit hools,
Sour milk and girnin' gools,
Psalm-beuks and cutty-stools,
We'll see ne'er mair, man.

Will ye go tae Sheriffmuir,
Bauld John o' Innisture,
Sic a day and sic an hour
Ne'er was in the North, man.
Siccan sights will there be seen,
And gin some be nae mista'en,
Fragrant gales will come bedeen,
Frae the waters o' Forth, man.

note: A rather ridiculously overblown song calling the
clans to what turned out to be a meaningless battle.
The Battle of Sheriffmuir was the only significant
battle of the 1715 Jacobite rebellion. On November
13, 1715, an estimated 8000 Highlanders under John, Earl
of Mar joined battle with 3500 Hannoverian troops led by
the Duke of Argyll. Mar had every opportunity to win his
battle, but proved so inept that the result was a draw.
Soon after, the 1715 rebellion sputtered to a feeble end.
The white cockade was one of the emblems of the Jacobite
cause (it inspired songs such as "The White
Cockade"). The identity of "Bauld John o' Innisture"
is unknown. RW

Recorded by Ewan MacColl on "Songs of Two Rebellions."
glossary:
a': all
bauld: bold
bedeen: at evening
cutty-stools: stool on which unmarried mothers were made
to sit when confessing
gin (hard g): if
girnin': weeping
gools: depressed persons
Hieland: Highland
hools: clothes
mista'en: mistaken
nae: not
raws: rows
raggit: ragged
ri'en: riven
sic, siccan: such

RW