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Lyr Req: The Bonnie Wells o' Wearie

28 May 98 - 10:07 PM (#29596)
Subject: The Bonnie Wells O' Wearie
From: helens@sympac.com.au

If anyone can help with the words to The Bonnie Wells O' Wearie I will be eternally grateful.My husband only knows one line of it,and if I hear that one line one more time I will go round the bend! :-) Help Please!!!!!!

29 May 98 - 07:59 AM (#29630)
Subject: RE: Words to
From: Bruce O.

That's a pretty rare Scots song. I've heard of it, but never seen it. I think it's prettty old. There's a poem calld "Wearie's Well" by Wm. Mothewell, 1828, and I have it, but that's not the same piece.

05 Mar 99 - 11:41 AM (#61451)
Subject: RE: Words to
From: Bruce O.

Water of Wearie's Well, is the place of action in the B text of "Lady Isabel and the Elf=knight", #4, in F. J. Child's 'The English and Scottish Popular Ballads" (from Peter Buchan)

10 Mar 99 - 02:33 AM (#62198)
Subject: ADD: Bonnie Wells o Wearie
From: Murray on Saltspring

No--it's a different one: words by Alexander Maclagan (1811-1879), music by J. C. Grieve, born 1842; here from John Greig's Scots Minstrelsie of c. 1900.

1.
Come let us climb auld Arthur Seat,
When summer flow'rs are blooming;
When golden broom and heather bells
Are a' the air perfuming.
When sweet May gowans deck the braes,
The hours flee past fu' cheerie,
Where bonnie lassies bleach their claes
Beside the Wells o' Wearie!
[chorus:]
The bonnie Wells o' Wearie!
The bonnie Wells o' Wearie!
Come let us spend a summer day
Beside the Wells o' Wearie!

2.
The "Lily o' St. Leonards" there
Oft spent a sweet May morning,
Wi' gowans gay and sweet blue-bells
Her golden locks adorning.
And there the "Laird o' Dumbiedikes"
Aft gaed to woo his dearie,
And watch his fleecy flocks wi' care,
Beside the Wells o' Wearie!
[cho.]

3.
There Scotland's Queen in stormy times
Forgot her saddest story;
There brave Prine Charlie led his clans
To deeds o' martial glory.
When Johnnie Cope, wi' a' his men
Were scatter'd tamplinteerie,
There Scotland's banner proudly waved
Beside the Wells o' Wearie!
[chorus]

4.
Then let us hail auld Arthur Seat:
Like Scotland's rampant lion,
It tow'rs, a wonder o' the world,
The wildest storms defyin'.
Wi' dauntless front 'neath summer skies,
Or wintry blasts sae dreary,
It stands in peace or war to guard
The bonnie Wells o' Wearie!
[chorus]

5.
O lang may bonnie lassies fair
Wi' Nature's charms around them,
Still bleach their claes on flow'ry braes,
Wi' nae sad cares to wound them!
Lang may her sons 'mid fairy scenes,
Wi' hearts richt leal and cheerie,
Still meet to sing their patriot sangs
Beside the Wells o' Wearie!
[chorus]

That chorus is deliciously laid out in four-part harmony, and this song is (was) a great favorite for sentimental harmonising in the pubs of the West of Scotland, let alone the east. The Lily of St Leonard's and the Laird in the 2nd verse are characters in Scott's "Heart of Midlothian" The Wells themselves are (or used to be) at the south of the Queen's Park, Edinburgh; Arthur's Seat is the name of a prominent hill nearby.

10 Mar 99 - 05:40 AM (#62206)
Subject: RE: Words to
From: helens@sympac.com.au

Thanks a million Murray,your blood is worth bottling as we say here in Australia!

02 Dec 02 - 09:56 AM (#838834)
Subject: RE: Words to "The Bonnie Wells O' Wearie"?
From: GUEST,Davie

I have been searching this song for a long time now. I have been told Rangers supporters sang this song at Ibrox many many years ago, and have been intrigued to find out why. Thanks for the lyrics, they have been hard to find!! I see this post is almost 2 years old too!!!!

02 Dec 02 - 11:21 AM (#838882)
Subject: RE: Words to: The Bonnie Wells O' Wearie
From: masato sakurai

Ronnie Browne sang this (on Battle Songs & Ballads, with sound clip).

02 Dec 02 - 11:34 AM (#838890)
Subject: RE: Words to: The Bonnie Wells O' Wearie
From: mg

it is an absolutely beautiful song. I just knew the first verse and the one about the lions...from an old Kenneth McKellar record.

mg

02 Dec 02 - 12:12 PM (#838910)
Subject: RE: Words to: The Bonnie Wells O' Wearie
From: GUEST

I am going to attempt to get The Rangers supporters to revive this one. I have an organised 'singing area' inside Ibrox stadium, there are over 200 of us plus a 7 piece band.

Davie

02 Dec 02 - 01:16 PM (#838957)
Subject: RE: Words to: The Bonnie Wells O' Wearie
From: GUEST,Q

Macagan, not Maclagan. And Grieve.
Just got te McKellar LP album last week (a very good store here with carefully checked as new LPs). "Scottish Saturday Night," London SW99283. Has a nice version of Kelvin Grove, and Hame O' Mine by McKenzie Murdoch. The rest is mostly new nostalgic Scots, or whatever you want to call it, noise but no meat.

02 Dec 02 - 01:22 PM (#838963)
Subject: RE: Words to: The Bonnie Wells O' Wearie
From: Scabby Douglas

Well Guest-who's-going-to-try-to-get-the-Rangers-support-to-sing...

Good luck... be a bit more edifying than the usual stuff that we get out of Ibrox...


Cheers


Steven

03 Dec 02 - 03:37 AM (#839476)
Subject: RE: Words to: The Bonnie Wells O' Wearie
From: GUEST,Davie

You just couldn't help yerslef could you Stevie? Check out my site! Cheers... Davie

http://theibroxroar.netfirms.com/

01 Aug 03 - 04:51 PM (#995271)
Subject: RE: Words to: The Bonnie Wells O' Wearie
From: GUEST,Bonnie May Wells

02 Aug 03 - 04:44 AM (#995433)
Subject: Lyr Add: BONNIE WELLS O' WEARIE
From: masato sakurai

From HERE:
    BONNIE WELLS O' WEARIE

Come let us climb auld Arthur Seat,
When summer flow'rs are blooming;
When golden broom and heather bells
Are a' the air perfuming.
When sweet May gowans deck the braes,
The hours flee past fu' cheerie,
Where bonnie lassies bleach their claes
Beside the Wells o' Wearie!

Chorus:
The bonnie Wells o' Wearie!
The bonnie Wells o' Wearie!
Come let us spend a summer day
Beside the Wells o' Wearie!

The "Lily o' St. Leonards" there
Oft spent a sweet May morning,
Wi' gowans gay and sweet blue-bells
Her golden locks adorning.
And there the "Laird o' Dumbiedikes"
Aft gaed to woo his dearie,
And watch his fleecy flocks wi' care,
Beside the Wells o' Wearie!

Chorus:

There Scotland's Queen in stormy times
Forgot her saddest story;
There brave Prince Charlie led his clans
To deeds o' martial glory.
When Johnnie Cope, wi' a' his men
Were scatter'd tamplinteerie,
There Scotland's banner proudly waved
Beside the Wells o' Wearie!

Chorus:

Then let us hail auld Arthur Seat:
Like Scotland's rampant lion,
It tow'rs, a wonder o' the world,
The wildest storms defyin'.
Wi' dauntless front 'neath summer skies,
Or wintry blasts sae dreary,
It stands in peace or war to guard
The bonnie Wells o' Wearie!

Chorus:

O lang may bonnie lassies fair
Wi' Nature's charms around them,
Still bleach their claes on flow'ry braes,
Wi' nae sad cares to wound them!
Lang may her sons 'mid fairy scenes,
Wi' hearts richt leal and cheerie,
Still meet to sing their patriot sangs
Beside the Wells o' Wearie!

Meaning of unusual words:
gowans=daisy, often the mountain daisy
braes=hillsides
claes=clothes
tamplinteerie=topsy-turvy
leal=loyal, faithful
"Bonnie Wells O'Wearie" (sung by James Nicol) is on Festival City -- The Scottish Fiddle Orchestra. "Bonnie Wells o' Wearie" is in John Greig's Scots Minstrelsie, vol. VI. Unfortunately, I only have the first 4 volumes, and this online edition is in progress.

02 Aug 03 - 10:04 AM (#995526)
Subject: RE: Words to: The Bonnie Wells O' Wearie
From: GUEST,Masato

I should have seen Murray on Saltspring's post above.

22 Jun 16 - 09:43 AM (#3796979)
Subject: RE: Lyr Req: The Bonnie Wells o' Wearie
From: GUEST,Ian Naismyth

My Great Great grandfather was John C. Grieve

22 Jun 16 - 11:23 AM (#3796995)
Subject: RE: Lyr Req: The Bonnie Wells o' Wearie
From: Jack Campin

I went to the Wells of Wearie a couple of years ago; I'd never been there before and it's not a much visited spot, despite being easily accessible (in Holyrood Park near the entrance down the hill from the Commonwealth Pool).

It's a rather strange and creepy group of pools and reedy marsh, not connected to any stream leading in or out. The obvious tune that would come to mind is "Swamp Thing".