ROAD TO DUNDEE – Trad. Scottish
Recorded by Mary Smith
Cold winter was howlin' o'er moorland and mountain D G D
And wild was the surge of the dark rolling sea G D E7 A7
When I met about daybreak a bonnie young lassie D G D
Who asked me the road and the miles tae Dundee. G D A7 D
Says I, "My young lassie, I canna weel tell ye,
The road and the distance I canna weel gie,
But if you'll permit me to gang a wee bittie,
I'll show you the road and the miles tae Dundee."
The lassie consented and gave me her airm
Not a word did I speir wha the lassie micht be
She appeared like an angel in feature and form
As she walked by my side on the road tae Dundee.
At length wi' the howe o' Strathmartine behind us
The spires o' the toon in full view we could see,
She said, "Gentle sir, I can never forget ye
For showin' me so far on the road tae Dundee.
She took the gold pin that she wore on her bosom,
But she had gae this, in remembrance o' me",
And bravely I kissed the sweet lips o' that lassie
And I pairted frae her on the road tae Dundee.
So here's tae the lassie; I canna forget her,
And ilka young laddie wha's listenin' to me,
O never be sweir to convey a young lassie,
Though it's only to show her the road tae Dundee.
“Carnlough Bay” is the Ulster version of The Road To Dundee. Which of the two came first we don't know, but as Scottish and Irish music could be justifiably seen as being two sides of the same coin anyway, we don't think it matters. More interesting to us is the comparison between the two variants, particularly the tunes; the melody here is simpler and starker than that of the Scots version. (Notes Battlefield Band, 'On the Rise')