Song


	My Ain Folk


	‘My Ain Folk’ is a traditional ballad sung when Scots gather together to celebrate their culture and homeland. The theme of emigration would be familiar to many Scots from the 18th Century to the present. It is estimated that today over 25 million people worldwide can claim Scottish Ancestry.


	Far frae my ain hame I wander, But still my thoughts return To my ain folk ower yonder, In the sheiling by the burn. I see the cosy ingle, And the mist abune the brae, And joy and sadness mingle As I lilt some auld warld lay.

	And its o' but I'm longing for my ain folk, Tho' they be but lowly, puir, and plain folk, I am far beyond the sea, but my thoughts will ever be At hame in dear auld Scotland wi' my ain folk.


	A bonnie lass is greetin', Tho' she strives to stay her tears, Oh! sweet will be the meeting, After many weary years. How my fond arms will enfold ye, As I ca' ye ever mine; Still abides the love I told ye, In the days o' auld lang syne.

	And its o' but I'm longing for my ain folk, Tho' they be but lowly, puir, and plain folk; I'm far across the sea, but soon again I'll be At hame in dear auld Scotland wi' my ain folk.


	O' their absent ane they're telling The auld folk by the fire, And I mark their swift tears welling, As the ruddy flames leap higher. How my mither would caress me, Were I but by her side; How she prays that heaven will bless me, Tho' the stormy seas divide.