I hadn't seen this thread before, so a bit late the lyrics as noted in the booklet of the CD, Imaginary Lines by Robin Laing. It also sais about this song the following:

"Inspired by an earlier lyric by Ken Fawell and his daughter Gemma who live in the mill."

I hope this helps,

Kees - (Holland)


Carmichael Mill (Robin Laing)

Down by the Clyde there's a bonny place,
Where stands Carmichael Mill,
And the evening sun sometimes hides his face,
In the shadow of Tinto Hill,
Slowly the river turns and steers,
Life is woven with joys and tears,
And time is measured in hundreds of years,
But the Mill is standing Still.

For forty years the old mill lay asleep,
Rotting and rusting in shadows so deep,
And over the cogs spiders would creep,
And the water wheel stood still,
The slates and the gutters were broken and sad,
We live in a time of fashion and fad,
And we never knew the treasure we had,
Lying at Carmichael Mill.

The heart of the mill gladly remains,
Scratched on the beams are stories and names,
These were the men with the brawn and the brains,
And the long generations of skill,
Now the bright water runs through the lade,
In the machinery music is played,
And the song of the past is a sweet serenade,
To the men who built Carmichael Mill.

From the Daer Water tae where the Cart spills,
Clyde gathers streams from moorland and hills,
Enough for the wheels of ten thousand mills,
And another ten thousand beside,
And though the past is buried and gone,
The river's power runs on and on,
And a small beam of light to the future is shone,
By the last meal mill on the Clyde.