The James T. Callow Folklore Archive

D'ye Mind Lang Syne?

D'ye mind lang syne
When the summer days were fine
When the sum had shone far brichter
Than it's ever done since syne?
D'ye mind the ha-brig turn
Where we guddled [catch trout by hand] in the burn [stream]
And were late for school in the mornin'?

D'ye mind the braes
Where we gathered hips [fruit on rosebushes] and slaes
And ran among the bramble bushes
Tearing aw oor claes,
And for fear we micht be seen
We came slippin' hame at e'en
And got lickit for oor pains in the mornin'?

D'ye mind the miller's dam
When the frosty winter cam'
How we slid among the curlers' rinks
And made their game a sham,
And they chased us through the snaw
We got leg-bail there an' a'
But we did it ower again in the mornin'?

Where are now the freens we knew
Who were once so real and true?
Some hae left this earthly scene
And some are struggling through.
Ay, and some hae risen high
In life's changing destiny
For they rose with the lark in the mornin'.

Now life's sweet Spring has passed
And Autumn's here at last
The Summer's day has flown away
And Winter's coming fast,
But though land the nicht may seem
We will sleep without a dream
Till we awaken on that bright Sabbath mornin'.

Submitter comment:

The informant used to sing this during her childhood in Scotland.

Where learned: MICHIGAN ; DEARBORN