You 've surely heard of famous Neil,
The man who play'd the fiddle weel;
He was a heartsome merry chiel',
And weel he lo'ed the whisky, O!
For e'er since he wore the tartan hose
He dearly liket _Athole brose_![63]
And grieved he was, you may suppose,
To bid "farewell to whisky," O!
Alas! says Neil, I'm frail and auld,
And whiles my hame is unco cauld;
I think it makes me blythe and bauld,
A wee drap Highland whisky, O!
But a' the doctors do agree
That whisky 's no the drink for me;
I 'm fley'd they'll gar me tyne my glee,
By parting me and whisky, O!
But I should mind on "auld lang syne,"
How Paradise our friends did tyne,
Because something ran in their mind--
Forbid--like Highland whisky, O!
Whilst I can get good wine and ale,
And find my heart, and fingers hale,
I 'll be content, though legs should fail,
And though forbidden whisky, O!
I 'll tak' my fiddle in my hand,
And screw its strings whilst they can stand,
And mak' a lamentation grand
For guid auld Highland whisky, O!
Oh! all ye powers of music, come,
For deed I think I 'm mighty glum,
My fiddle-strings will hardly bum,
To say, "farewell to whisky," O!
[62] In the Author's MS., the following sentences occur prefatory to
this song:--"Everybody knows Neil Gow. When he was poorly, the
physicians forbade him to drink his favourite liquor. The words
following were composed, at his particular desire, to a lamentation he
had just made." Mrs Lyon became acquainted with Gow when she was a young
lady, attending the concerts in Dundee, at which the services of the
great violinist were regularly required. The song is very inaccurately
printed in some of the collections.
[63] A beverage composed of honey dissolved in whisky.