You can hear the complete song at the web site of The Gallery, Masham, North Yorkshire. Here's my transcription:


THE GYPSY
Ian Scott Massie

1. When first came to this country where the open roads did lie,
Above us hung a gypsy trail of clouds across the sky,
And we followed them by ragged fells and high on open moor,
And every night did different stars shone bright above our door.

CHORUS: From the rolling streams of India to Albion's pleasant land,
The stars shone down on the trailers and on all our travelling band.
We followed every rolling road to the north and to the sun,
But the night falls around the travelling man [or "band"?]; the gypsy's days are gone.

2. And they say that out of Egypt we brought the second sight,
For the wanting of a silver coin to see through darkest night,
And our ways were hung with mystery and our heads were hung with curls,
And we scraped out songs on the fiddle strings full of life and laughter and girls.

3. And for centuries we wandered, trading fortunes for our gold.
Our touch lay strong on the horse's blood, though the harness now lies cold,
And one by one my brothers have driven roots into the soil,
And now the day is come when we take the open road no more.

4. We are moved out every country and they destroy our life when they can
Hitler gave us gas to breathe, and we're cut down when we make our stand.
Freedom is the rich man's word; you can [or "can't"?] fence it off like the land,
And they will grind us into the dust without trying to understand.

LAST CHORUS ENDS: ... the days are almost gone.

[From Ian Scott Massie's album "Colours in My Life".]