Pride's Awa

by Davie Robertson

As I cam in by yonder toon
Through aw yer streets sae bleak an’ bare
I heard a wee bird pipe a tune
Pride’s awa an’ whae’s tae care
An’ it’s freedom you’re forever

He cocked his heid an shook his tail
Through aw yer streets sae bleak an’ bare
How did a thae shipyairds fail?
Pride’s awa an’ whae’s tae care
An’ it’s freedom you’re forever

He shook his tail and cocked his heid
Through aw yer streets sae bleak an’ bare
How’s yon furnace cauld an deid?
Pride’s awa an’ wha’s tae care
An’ it’s freedom you’re forever

An’ then he sang aroon the toon
Through aw yer streets sae bleak an’ bare
How’s aw thae collieries closed doon?
Pride’s awa an’ whae’s tae care
An’ it’s freedom you’re forever

An then he whistled at his ease
Through aw yer streets sae bleak an’ bare
How’s yon fine sheep fairm trenched fer trees
Pride’s awa an’ whae’s tae care
An’ it’s freedom you’re forever

Wee bird whaur dae oor maisters stay?
Through aw yer streets sae bleak an’ bare
Ower Carterbar an’ faur away
Pride’s awa an’ whae’s tae care
An’ it’s freedom you’re forever

Wee bird whaur will oor brithers gae
Through aw yer streets sae bleak an’ bare
On their bikes and faur away
Pride’s awa an’ whae’s tae care
An’ it’s freedom you’re forever

The craws are gaith’rin on the green
Through aw yer streets sae bleak an bare
An’ aye they craw God save the Queen
Pride’s awa an’ whae’s tae care
An’ it’s freedom you’re forever

Christine Kydd brought this song to Sangschule. It appears on her Greentrax CD with Janet Russell, Dancin’ Chantin’. At the end of Davie’s song about the death of Scottish industries, they add an African freedom chant, picking up on the note of hope in his recurring line “An it’s freedom you’re forever”:
Oomajonee, Oomajonee, Oomajonee,
Oomajonee, Oomajonee, Oomajonee,
Freedom is coming, Freedom is coming,
Freedom is coming, yes I know

Davie Robertson, according to his page on http://www.greentrax.com/ “was born in 1945 and has lived all his life in the village of Longniddry, East Lothian. He has been interested and involved in the folk revival since the mid 60s and during that decade started composing songs, which he sang in local folk clubs and at other events. He later went on to enter (and win) a number of Scottish song-writing competitions.”

He describes his songs as “mostly simple observations of the human condition….many of them are humorous.” Davie also describes himself as a “composer of Scots songs …a noble tradition which is not in good health, but it is not quite dead yet…who knows, it may yet rise and surprise us all.” His songs are said to be “uncanny observations of human life.”

One of his best-known songs is “Star of the Bar”– also the title of his Greentrax CD.