But whiles later I remembered it again, and I took the idea to my gude friend Gerald Grafton.

We worked a long time before we hit upon just the verses that seemed richt.

But when we'd done we had a song that I sang for many years, and that my audiences still demand from me.
That's aye been one great test of a song for me.

Whiles I'll be a wee bit dootful aboot a song-in my repertory for a season.

Then I'll stop singing it for a few nichts.