Henry's Songbook

In the year o' eighteen hundred and eight
A road through Buchan was made straight
And mony's a hieland lad o' might
Came o'er the Buchan border

Frae Peterhead to Banff's auld toon
It twines the knowes and hollows roon' (knowes - hillocks)
Ye scarce can tell its ups frae doons
It's levelled in sic order

And the hieland and the lowland chiels (chiels - fellows)
Cut doon the knowes wi' spads and shi (shiels - shovels)
Bored the stanes wi' jumpin'-dreels
Tae put the road in order

There was some in tartan, some in blue
Wi' weskits o' a warlike hue
And werena they a strappin' crew
Tae put the road in order

And mony's a hup and mony's a bang
Got cartin' horse and lazy man
Fu' and teem and aye they ran (teem - energetically)
To put it a bittie further

Chiel Chalmers, he frae Strichen cam'
Wi' ae black horse as bold as a ram
Nae ane could match him in the tram (tram - cart-shafts)
He made a braw recorder

And the Meerisons, the Wichts and Giels
Were swack and willin' workin' chiels (swack - clever, nimble)
Sae fu' as they pu'd the barra steels (barra steels - barrow handles)
Tae put the road in order

The road's as smooth as a harrow'd rig
Wi' stankies on ilk side fu' trig (stankies - drains)
And ilk' bit burn has noo a brig (bit - tiny)
Where aince we had to ford her

And this turnpike it will be a boon
Tae a' the country roon' and roon'
And let folk come and gae frae toon
Wi' easedom and wi' order

On fit you're o'er it free to stray
But if a beast ye chance tae hae
At ilka sax miles ye maun pay
For gaun a bittie further

Repeat 1

As sung by Tony Cuffe