... well, not him personally, rather the song of his life story.

I taped it off the radio back in the 80's (queue up all pedantics and nitpickers!) but have never known what it is actually called or who sang it.

It is a fascinating story - this is my attempt at the lyrics:

Old Billy Johnston he worked as a forester
on the estates along Tens(?)muir.
Down by his back door and the river Eden,
heading on his way to the Tay-side shore.

Billy, in the evening, would stand with his wee son,
watching where the North Sea stretched away.
Pointing out the houses clustered in the wee town
high upon the cliffs of St Andrews Bay.

Chorus
Far away from his own River Eden
where the wild geese cry as the sun goes down.
Grey cliffs blush in the light of the evening,
far away from St Andrews town.

Young Billy Johnston, he went for a sodger (soldier);
Four long years, took no great harm.
Went far away to the mountains of Korea-
they call it the land of the morning calm.

Men fought on hillsides they only knew by numbers,
died crossing rivers that had no name.
Billy had a good war, never was in danger.
Served his time and he came back hame (home).

Chorus
Far away from his own River Eden
where the wild geese cry as the sun goes down.
Grey cliffs blush in the light of the evening,
far away from St Andrews town.

But, Billy back home, soon found that the foresting
did'nae (didn't) give the living that he thought it would be.
Like all the others, he went to the fishing.
Worked ten years on the northern sea.

Billy went to Iceland, there he caught the big fish.
Brought them home, went back again.
Then came the Cod War and crews were disbanded.
Billy Johnston landed on the shore again.

Chorus
Far away from his own River Eden
where the wild geese cry as the sun goes down.
Grey cliffs blush in the light of the evening,
far away from St Andrews town.

Then Billy Johnston , he tried his hand at farming,
riding the tractors and turning the ground.
But he knew he'd never be a lands man,
His heart was tuned to the seas wild sound.

Came an opportunity, he went down to England,
tried his fortune one more time.
He became a steel man, working in the ship yard,
building rigs on the River Tyne.

Chorus
Far away from his own River Eden
where the wild geese cry as the sun goes down.
Grey cliffs blush in the light of the evening,
far away from St Andrews town.

Still he heard the voice of the wild wave calling him
to come back where the winds blow free.
So he joined an oil rig called Alexander Kielland -
stood far out in the Norwegian Sea.

One dark night when Billy's shift was ended,
men were resting free from care.
A great leg broke and the Kielland was abandoned;
Billy Johnston fell through the empty air.

Chorus
Far away from his own River Eden
where the wild geese cry as the sun goes down.
Grey cliffs blush in the light of the evening,
far away from St Andrews town.

Billy Johnston's gone from St Andrews town.

I've searched the DT - there is a song about a Billy Johnson but not this Billy - and Googled various parts of the lyrics with no result.

Anybody know anything

Allan