When the Kye Comes Hame

Melody - "The Blaithrie o't", adapted by James Hogg; Seq. by Lesley Nelson

James Hogg, 1770-1835

Come all ye jolly shepherds,
That whistle through the glen.
I'll tell ye o' a secret
that courtiers dinna ken.
What is the greatest bliss
That the tongue o' man can name
'Tis to woo a bonnie lassie
When the kye comes hame.
Chorus:
|: When the kye comes hame :|
When the kye comes hame,
Tween the gloamin' and the mirk,
When the kye comes hame.

2. 'Tis not beneath the burgonet
Nor yet beneath the crown,
'Tis not on couch of velvet
Nor yet on bed of down;
'Tis beneath the spreading birch
In the dell without a name,
Wi' a bonnie, bonnie lassie
When the kye comes hame.
Chorus:

3. Awa' wi' fame and fortune:
What comforts can they gi'e?
And a' the arts that prey upon
Man's life and liberty!
Gi'e me the highest joy
That the heart o' man can frame:
My bonnie, bonnie lassie
When the kye comes hame.
Chorus:

Kye can mean cow (singular) or cattle (plural).

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