Henry's Songbook

No more to busk the Left Bank, the 'Cowboy Ecossais'
No more to sing in Contrescarpe where you had tae earn your pay
No more to hear the rhymin' from Paris tae Dunvegan
No more on the road so long, no more, no more stravaigin'

And no more down the Gallowgate or in the Scotia Bar
No more to hear the tall tales as he picked his big guitar
No more the songs a-scornin' complacency's contagion
No more on the road so long, no more, no more stravaigin'

And no more to sing of Woody, or Weary's Bonnie Wells
No more buy drink for all the boys up in Sandy Bell's
No more against hypocrisy his war be onward wagin'
No more on the road so long, no more, no more stravaigin'

And no more to be in Tønder where he was known to all by name
Where we drank too much Gammeldansk, it was always him to blame
No more the Viseversehus, or with Thomas here in Skagen
No more on the road so long, no more, no more stravaigin'

And no more to sing the big songs that could bring a crowd to hush
No more double-meaning songs that made the lassies blush
No more to sing a thousand clubs, Glasgow to Copenhagen
No more on the road so long, no more, no more stravaigin'

(as sung by Iain MacKintosh)

[1996:] Alex Campbell was the first of the Scottish folksingers to go on the road and leave the folk clubs of Scotland. He went to Paris, busking in the Metro, he played in the European folk clubs, then graduated to the concert halls and festival stages. He was the man we all wanted to be like. He was larger than life. Alex was the king.
His family life fell apart in the last years of his life, so he left home, went to live in Denmark where he had a lot of friends, and stayed in the town of Tonder. I always used to meet him when I was over in Denmark. His big song, the one that became most famous of the ones he wrote was 'Been on the Road So Long'. (Iain MacKintosh, intro Kiel)