TWA RECRUITIN' SERGEANTS
from Cilla Fisher & Artie Trezise FSS-69
1. Twa recruiting sergeants came fra the Black Watch
Twa markets and fairs, some recruits for to catch
But a' that they 'listed was forty and twa:
Enlist my bonnie laddie an' come awa
Chorus:
And it's over the mountain and over the main
Through Gibralter, to France and Spain
Get a feather to your bonnet, and a kilt abon your knee
Enlist my bonnie laddie and come awa with me.
2. Oh laddie ye dinna ken the danger that yer in
If yer horses was to flag, and yer housin' was to ruin
This greedy ole farmer, he wouldna pay yer fee
enlist my bonnie laddie and come awa with me
3. With your tattie porin's and yer meal and kale,
yer soor sooin' sourin's and yer ill-brewed ale,
yer buttermilk, yer wye, and yer breid fired-raw
Enlist my bonnie laddie and come awa
4. And its into the barn and out o' the briar
This ole farmer, he thinks ye never tire
It's slavery job o' very low degree
Enlist my bonnie laddie and come awa with me
5. O laddie if ye've got a sweetheart or a bairn,
Ye'll easily get rid o' that ill spun yarn
twa rattles o' the drum aye and that'll pay for all
Enlist my bonnie laddie and come awa.
Aboon: above
Tattie pourin's: water in which pototoes have been boiled.
Soor sooin' sourin's: sowens, a dish made by steeping and
fermenting the husks, seeds, or siftings of oats in water, then
boiling; likely a poor substitute for beer.