Henry's Songbook

Come Hielandman, come Lowlandman
Come every man on earth, man
And I'll tell ye how I got on
Atween Dundee and Perth, man
I gaed upon an iron road
A rail they did it ca', man
And ruggit by an iron horse
An awfy beast to draw, man (ruggit - pulled)

There were hooses in a lang straight row
A-standin' upon wheels, man
And the pair o' chiels that fed the brute
Were black as ony de'ils, man
And ne'er a thing they gave the beast
But only coals to eat, man
'Twas the queerest beast that e'er I saw
For it had wheels for feet, man

The beast it roared and aff we gaed
Through water, steam and stanes, man
We gaed at sic a fearful rate
I thought we'd brak' oor banes, man
By and by we stoppit
At a place ca'd something-Gowrie
But ne'er a word had I to say
But only sit and glower, aye

And after that we crossed the Tay
And landed into Perth, man
I vow it was the queerest place
That e'er I saw on Earth, man
For the hooses and the iron horse
Were far aboon the land, man
And how they got them up the stairs
I cannae understand, man

But noo I'm safely landed
And my feet are on the sod, man
If I gang tae Dundee again
I'll tak' another road, man
Though I should gang upon my feet
Till I'm no' fit to stand, man
Catch me again when I'm ta'en in
Wi' the terrible iron horse, man

(as sung by Tony Cuffe)

[1972:] Records the wonder and awe of a simple rural Scot on his first encounter with a steam loco. At a time when learned men were debating whether the human frame could survive the shock of travel at 30 mph the railway engine was indeed the wonder of the age. (Notes Ian Campbell Folk Group, 'Something To Sing About')

[1988:] A song from Ford's "Vagabond Songs" in which an old-fashioned country farmer confronts that marvel of 19th century high technology: the steam engine. According to Ford, the song was written by Charles Balfour, stationmaster at Glencarse, between Dundee and Perth, and was first sung at a "festival of railway servants" held at Perth in 1848. (Notes Tony Cuffe, 'When First I Went To Caledonia')