Around the Ingles Blazing

As around the ingles blazin'
We're sae happy and so free.
Though the northern winds blaw freezin',
Friendship warms baith ye and me.

    Happy we are a' together,
    Happy we'll be, ain and a'.
    Time shall find us a' the blyther,
    E'er we rise tae gang awa'.

See the miser o'er his treasure,
Gloatin' wi' his greedy e'e;
Can he feel the glow o' pleasure
That around us here we see?

    Happy we are.... etc.

Paul said that his grandfather used to sing the song at the closing of local dances and social gatherings in the New Bedford area. The song is but a fragment of "Happy Friendship," a Scottish classic, and Willie Scott, the shepherd, sang much more of it on his recording. Ask Dick Greenhaus for Scott's recording. It's a dandy.

    Sandy Paton (resident folk fossil)