Lyrics to Loch Lomond

Loch Lomond is a folk song that dates back to the Jacobite Rebellion.

In 1749, Bonnie Prince Charlie led his supporting clans against the British on the fields of Culloden. The British won the battle, and the clans were decimated. During the purges of the highlands, thousands were lost, families and clans were destroyed, lands were seized and the people plunged into poverty, and the Scots were stripped of their tartans, music and weapons. Clans from the Loch Lomond area had followed Bonnie Prince Charlie in the rebellion. This folk song reflects the despair of the time.

By yon bonnie banks and by yon bonnie braes,
Where the sun shines bright on Loch Lomon'.
where me and my true love were ever wont to gae
On the bonnie, bonnie banks o' Loch Lomon'.

O ye'll tak' the high road and I'll tak the low road,
An' I'll be in Scotland afore ye;
But me and my true love will never meet again
On the bonnie, bonnie banks o' Loch Lomon'.

'Twas there that we parted in yon shady glen,
On the steep, steep side o' Ben Lomon',
Where in purple hue the Hieland hills we view,
An' the moon comin' out in the gloamin'.

O ye'll tak' the high road and I'll tak the low road,
An' I'll be in Scotland afore ye;
But me and my true love will never meet again
On the bonnie, bonnie banks o' Loch Lomon'.