Ah’m a Dundee lassie
ye can see
An ye’ll a’ways find me cheerful (1)
nae matter whaur Ah be
Tho at times ah feel doonherted,
sad or ill
Ah’m a spinner intae Baxter’s mill.
Ma mither died when
Ah was young,
ma faither fell in France
Ah’d like tae been a teacher
but ah never got the chance
Ah’ll soon be getting married tae a lad they ca Tam Hill
An he is an iler intae Halley’s mill
Ah’m chumming wi a lassie,
they ca her Jeannie Bain
She says she’ll never mairry,
her lad got killed in Spain
Ah often hear her speak aboot a place they ca Teruel
An she is a winder intae Craigie’s mill
ye can see
An ye’ll a’ways find me cheerful (1)
nae matter whaur Ah be
Tho at times ah feel doonherted,
sad or ill
Ah’m a spinner intae Baxter’s mill.
Ma mither died when
Ah was young,
ma faither fell in France
Ah’d like tae been a teacher
but ah never got the chance
Ah’ll soon be getting married tae a lad they ca Tam Hill
An he is an iler intae Halley’s mill
Ah’m chumming wi a lassie,
they ca her Jeannie Bain
She says she’ll never mairry,
her lad got killed in Spain
Ah often hear her speak aboot a place they ca Teruel
An she is a winder intae Craigie’s mill
1) “it is known that the Dundee mill girls had a reputation for ‘hilarity and making light of things.’” (Nigel Gatherer in Songs of Dundee) “He is quoting a writer, William Walker who said this was probably a “triumph of fortitude over adversity”, as there was little for many people in Dundee to be cheerful about, including those lucky enough to have a job” (in Stories of Scottish Songs)
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