Come all ye jolly shepherd lads that whistle thro' the glen
I'll tell ye all a secret that the courtiers dinnae ken
What is the greatest bliss that the tongue o' man can name
Is tae woo a bonnie lassie when the kye come hame
Chorus:
When the kye come hame, when the kye come hame
'Tween the gloamin' and the mirk, when the kye come hame
It's not beneath the burgenet nor yet beneath the crown
It's not on couch of velvet, nor yet on a bed of down
It's beneath the spreading birch in the dell without a name
Wi' a bonnie, bonnie lassies when the kye come hame
Chorus
See yonder pawky shepherd lad that lingers on the hill
His sheep are in the fauld, and his lambs are lying still
But he daurnae gang tae bed for his heart is in a flame
To meet his bonnie bonnie lassie when the kye come hame
Chorus
Awa' wi' fame and fortune what comfort can it gie
And a' the airts that prey upon man's life and liberty
Gie me the highest joy that the heart o' man can frame
My bonnie, bonnie lassie when the kye come hame.