Chaidh Moill' air mo Lèirsinn

Calum Johnston: Well, girls and boys, I'll try and sing you a song that was made long ago by a man known as Fearchar MacRath. Evidently, he had fallen in arrears with his rates or something like that, and the factor came along, and Fearchar wasn't in. He was out shooting as usual, and his wife couldn't produce the rates, so the factor took the pot off the slabhraidh and went off with it. So when Fearchar came home, and his wife told him... This pot was a very necessary thing for the family at that time. They couldn't boil their food, and Fearchar was very angry, and he made after the factor, and he made up on him in a stream and he shot him. Of course, even in those times, it was a crime to shoot a factor, and he had to take to the woods, and this is an account of his experiences and wanderings while he was in the woods in hiding.


Chaidh moill' air mo lèirsinn 's cha lèir dhomh cè ròd
Cha lèir dhomh nì 's fhaisge, fiù bhata nam dhòrn

Cha lèir dhomh nì 's fhaisge, fiù bhata nam dhòrn
'S mi sa ghleannan bheag phreasach 's mo leatrom air lòn

Mi sa ghleannan bheag phreasach 's mo leatrom air lòn
Greis air smeuran dubh dhruisean 's greis air bristeadh nan cnò

Greis air smeuran dubh dhruisean 's greis air bristeadh nan cnò
'S e mo thubhailte m' osan, 's e mo chopan mo bhròg

'S e mo thubhailte m' osan, 's e mo chopan mo bhròg
'S e mo thaigh mòr gach glacan, 's e mo leaba gach fròig

'S e mo thaigh mòr gach glacan, 's e mo leaba gach fròig
'S ged a dh'fhadas mi teine, chì fear foille dheth ceò

Ged a dh'fhadas mi teine, chì fear foille dheth ceò
'S ged a cheannaicheas mi buideal chan fhaigh mi cuideachd ga òl

Ged a cheannaicheas mi buideal chan fhaigh mi cuideachd ga òl
'S e do nighean-sa Dhonnchaidh chuir an troma-cheist seo orm

'S e do nighean-sa Dhonnchaidh chuir an troma-cheist seo orm
Tè don d' fhàs an cùl dualach 's a dà ghruaidh mar na ròs

Tè don d' fhàs an cùl dualach 's a dà ghruaidh mar na ròs
'S e sìos mu dà shlinnein anns an ionad bu chòir

E sìos mu dà shlinnein anns an ionad bu chòir
'S nuair a thigeadh am foghar b' e mo roghainn bhith falbh

Nuair a thigeadh am foghar b' e mo roghainn bhith falbh
Leis a' ghunna nach diùltadh 's leis an fhùdar dhubh-ghorm

Leis a' ghunna nach diùltadh 's leis an fhùdar dhubh-ghorm
'S bheirinn fiadh às an fhireach 's breac à linne 'n t-Sruth Mhòir

Bheirinn fiadh às an fhireach 's breac à linne 'n t-Sruth Mhòir
O na saoilinn thu m' fhreagairt dhèanainn fead cheann a' mheòir