Bonnie Blue Eyed Nancy

How would I live on the top of the mountain

With no money in my pocket

No gold for the counting

I would let the money go

All for to gain the fancy

Of the girl that I would marry,

She’s my bonnie blue eyed lassie

She’s my bonnie blue eyed Nancy

with an air so sweet and tender

Her walk, like swans on water

and her waist so small and slender

Her golden hair in ringlets fair,

Hung o’er her snow-white shoulders

And I’d ask her for to marry me,

And there’s no one could be bolder

And there’s some people say

That she is very low in station

And there’s more people say

She’ll be the cause of my ruination

Aah but let them all say what they will

With her I will prove constant still

Till the day that I die,

She will be my own lovely lady

And gently blow the breezes o’er

The waters of the Shannon

And sweetly sings the blackbird,

When he’s happy to behold her

And the spring may come

and the swallows go

And the moon shine out so clearly - o

But the brightest star by far is

My bonnie blue eyed Nancy

Vocals

Violin

PIANO / STRINGS

Arrangement

Sound engineer

MIXING, EDITING, MASTERING

Music & Lyric

The song is hopelessly romantic, sung by a man whose promise to his lady is that regardless of their so-called social mis-match - not being of the “same station”, he would be “constant still” with her till the day that he dies.

This song was unmistakably originally of Scottish origin, with notable mentions of “bonnie lassies”.

However, it has become popular in Ireland and in its migration has taken on some uniquely Irish references, such as the river Shannon.

As an aside, there exists another slightly different lyric for the 2nd verse of this song, which mentions the nightingale rather than the blackbird - and no mention of the swallow at all. I contacted Birdwatch Ireland in order to ascertain the frequency of nightingale visits to Ireland. They were most informative, replying that since records began, they’ve had 29 sightings of nightingales in Ireland. Further, because the majority of those were in the Saltee Islands off the county Wexford coast, the probability is that those nightingales were only in Ireland having been blown off course. Their final comment sums it up: “The nightingale that sung in Berkeley Square was more than likely a blackbird....”

For that reason, I’m happier, if singing the so-called Irish version of this song, to include swallows and the Shannon and leave the nightingales to the Scottish folksingers.....! Thank you to Christy Gleeson from Terryglass for giving me this version.

Brendan Hayes

Kim Sjøgren

Brendan Hayes

Pete Lowrey

James Blennerhassett

Traditional