Loch Lomond

Translations from Scottish in brackets.

Loch Lomond

Verse 1:

By yon [those] bonnie [beautiful] [river] banks and by yon bonnie braes [hillside(s)],

Where the sun shines bright on Loch [lake] Lomond,

Where me and my true love were ever wont [accustomed] to gae [go],

On the bonnie, bonnie banks o' Loch Lomond.

Chorus:

O ye'll tak' [take] the high road, and I'll tak' the low road,

And I'll be in Scotland afore [before] ye,

But me and my true love will never meet again,

On the bonnie, bonnie banks o' Loch Lomond.

Verse 2:

'Twas there that we parted, in yon shady glen [valley],

On the steep, steep side o' Ben [Mount] Lomond,

Where in purple hue, the hieland [highland] hills we view,

And the moon coming out in the gloaming [sunset/twilight].

Chorus

Verse 3:

The wee birdies sing and the wildflowers spring,

And in sunshine the waters are sleeping.

But the broken heart it kens [knows], nae [no/not] second spring again,

Though the waeful [woeful] may cease frae [from] their grieving.

Chorus

Meaning of the song:

The song is sung by a dead Scottish Jacobite highlander who is singing to his friend (a fellow Jacobite rebel), lamenting over his not being able to go back to his native Loch Lomond, and how he will never be able to see the love of his life again.

The "high road" in this song refers to the earthly path, which his friend, who is still alive, will take back to Scotland. The "low road" is the road that the man will have to take, the path that the dead take--which is faster than the high road, which is why he will reach Scotland first, as it was believed that Scottish souls returned to Scotland before ascending to either Heaven or Hell.

A beautiful rendition of the piece can be found here.

Loch Lomond in Ab'jarin (NOTE: proper nouns left as is)

Verse One:

ŋɔn ubwe va tim twa tro dlæ ubwe va tim twa

bozan gle ha pra Ɵɔz iʃ lɔk lomɔnd.

ava ha koda wan ge i zo tro ʌk ɪzo vre

ŋɔn ubwe tim tim iʃ pra lɔk lomɔnd ty.

Chorus:

hu geno pra go fir gle iʃ tro geno pra zo fir huʔla iʃ

avo tro go wat zo skɔtland eʒ

mtapo kso dæk zo tro ʌk zu vre

ŋɔn ubwe tim tim iʃ pra lɔk lomɔnd ty.

Verse two:

ava vʌ va mtapa uzo eʒ dlo zɔr va

pra bwe zar zar iʃ bɛn lomɔnd ty

wĪk ha kæ tæʃæ eʒ uzo ublæ fɛt lemɔr iʃ

ʃel yl eʒ ŋi iʃ tro Ɵɔz ɛk iʃ

Verse 3:

ʒɔr utwi lɪ iʃ tro el nta unɛt vĪ iʃ.

tro ʧɔr uŋɔ iʃ Ɵɔz bozan gle eʒ iʃ

ʃʌm wæ niʃ ʤĪ nɛt kso ko ʌki zʌt iʃ

pru rĪko uʔetɛ gle iʃ ɪʔɛk tɛʔan zĪ.

The Gloss:

Verse one:

river sides that beautiful by and hillsides that beautiful by

lights great where on sun the loch lomond

were where ever love my true me and wont to gae

river sides beautiful beautiful the on loch lomond of

Chorus:

oh take you road great the and take I road under the

Will be you before me scotland in

come together future never me and love my true

river sides beautiful beautiful the on loch lomond of

Verse two:

was there that parted we in glen shady that

on side steep steep the ben lomond of

see where hue red-blue in we hills land over the

coming out in moon the and sun death the

Verse three:

sing birdies wee the and spring wildflowers the

and sleeping waters the sun lights great in

but knows not flower time again it heart broken the

however to end (of a person) sad great the (their) death sadness from.