The song's correct title is NOT Bonnie Scotland, it's Take Me Back, and as someone else mentioned, it was written by Andy Stewart. The full lyrics are as follows: TAKE ME BACK Andy Stewart 1. In a far distant land By a fair and golden strand There I met a highland laddie in the morning And he sang me his song As he proudly marched along Of a land of lochs and glens and silver sea. CHORUS: Take me back; take me back again, Where heather hills are high And I'll hear a mavis singing in the morning; For there's no place on earth Like the homeland of my birth. O my Scotland, I am coming home to you. 2. Now there's wonders I've seen In the countries I have been And there's beauty in the lands where I have wandered But while I travelled free Yet my heart kept calling me To the land of lochs and glens and silver sea. CHORUS 3. I have stood on the shores Where the great Pacific roars From out yonder to down under I have wandered And great cities I've walked In from Sydney to New York But give me my lochs and glens and silver sea. CHORUS 4. From Stranraer to Kintyre From Kilcreggan up to Skye From Cape Ross to Aberdeen and Border Shieling That's the world of my home And I'm longing now to roam By the land of lochs and glens and silver sea. CHORUS ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ A recording by Andy Stewart is available on Amazon. It doesn't include the last verse, so I can't be certain that I've got the lyrics of that verse 100% right, but I've heard that verse sung, and it's pretty accurate. The rest is definitely accurate. I am NOT a fan of Andy Stewart's style of singing, and I can't stand the way he sings this song - he conveys no feeling whatsoever, and there is a complete lack of musicality in his singing. I have no idea why he was such a popular singer. But I love the song itself, and to his credit, he did write it, so I can't fault him as a songwriter. I think both the words and tune are lovely, and the song is in the great tradition of "missing home" Scottish folk songs, such as Westering Home, The Dark Island, Caledonia, etc. I think it compares well with any of those, provided one sings it oneself and forgets about the horrible way he sings it! It's a shame that no good Scottish folk groups (such as the Corries) ever covered it.
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