THE STANE'S AWA
(Norman MacCaig)

A chiel cam doun tae London toun
An nicked awa wi the Stane, man,
A lassie cried oot, "I'll gie ye a haun,
Fir it's ill tae dae it alane, man."
A chiel's awa, a cheil's awa,
A chiel's awa wi the Stane, man.
A lad an a lass made His Worship an ass,
An nicked awa wi the Stane, man.

They hadna pulleys, they hadna raips,
Faur less a muckle great crane, man -
Yet naebody kennt, nae Bobby cried oot,
"Here, whit the Hell are ye daen, man?" ( &c )

They had nae lorry tae carry it hame,
Nae steamer or airyplane, man,
For - here's a baur - in a wee Ford caur
They nicked awa wi the Stane, man: ( &c )

There's spies in Biggar and spies in Perth,
In Bo'ness an Dunblane, man,
They're speirin but an they're speirin ben,
But Scotland's haudin it's ain, man: ( &c )

The Dean was fleggit, he glunched and gulped,
An blubbered wi micht an main, man,
But the Lion is rampin in Scotland again,
An he'll shairpen his teeth on the Stane, man: ( &c )

An if ye say, "Whit's aw the steer?
Ye're actin like a wean, man" -
Ye'll mind a hauflin Davy killt
Goliath wi a Stane, man.

(Tune: The Deil's awa wi the Exciseman)

Footnote - Although he never publicly claimed the song as his composition, there
is little doubt that the Edinburgh poet Norman MacCaig wrote The Stanes's
Awa. Shortly before his death Norman MacCaig was presented with the Oliver Brown
Award by the Scots Independent.

@Scottish @political
filename[ STANEAWA
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mudcat.org

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