One of the largest collections of Scottish Ballads & Scots Folk Songs, lyrics, celtic music and downloads available on the internet.
Traditional Celtic Music, Scottish Songs & Border Ballads
Scots' musician, songwriter, & balladeer.
Hazel Whyte
Broadsheet Ballads
Cloaks &
Knavery
A simple brief
thought on Scottish
Independance.

Were the outdated
union not of some very
high value to England and
the English, why would
they fight so to try to
keep it?

There are only so many
slices to a pie, for one to
have more, another must
have less.

Lastly - to those Scottish
"Loyalists" - to whom are
you loyal?
Scots royalty died in the
1700's so it can be no
Scots crown - And
certainly not it appears to
those who came before,
that bled for Scotland
and her freedom !  
In the words
of Burns, as he
wrote from the heart.

Scots, wha hae wi' Wallace bled,
Scots, wham Bruce has aften led,
Welcome to your gory bed,
Or to victorie.

Now's the day, and now's the hour;
See the front o' battle lour;
See approach proud Edward's power,
Chains and slaverie.

Wha would be a traitor-knave?
Wha can fill a coward's grave?
Wha sae base as be a Slave?
Let him turn and flie:

Wha for Scotland's king and law,
Freedom's sword will strongly draw,
Free-man stand, or free-man fa',
Let him follow me.

By Oppression's woes and pains!
By your Sons in servile chains!
We will drain our dearest veins,
But they shall be free!

Lay the proud Usurpers low!
Tyrants fall in every foe!
Liberty's in every blow!
Let us Do - or Die!!!

Choose your destiny.
These are songs, ballads and rhymes taken straight from the old
"broadsheet press" which existed in Scotland between about 1550 and
1890. Where possible we have simply put direct scans in place.
CLOAK'S
KNAVERY.

COME buy my New Ballad,
I have't in my Wallet,
Tho I will not, I fear, please every Palate :
Then mark what ensu'th,
For I swear by my Youth,
That every Line in my Ballad is Truth :
A Ballad of Wit, a brave Ballad of Worth,
'Tis newly Printed and newly come Forth,
'Twas made of a Cloak that fell out with the Gown,
That cramp'd all the Kingdom and crippl'd the Crown.

Ill tell you in Brief
A Story of Grief
That happened when Cloak was Commander in Chief :
It tore Common-Pray'rs,
Imprison'd Lord Mayors,
In one Day it voted down Prelates and Play'rs,
It made People perjur'd in Point of Obedience,
And the Cov'nant did cut off the Oath of Allegiance,
Then let us endeavour to pull the Cloak down,
That Cramp'd &c.   

It was a Black Cloak,
In good Time be it spoke
It kill'd many Thousands, but never struck Stroke ;
With Hatchet and Rope,
The forlorn Hope,

It join'd with the Devil to pull down the Pope ;
It set all the Sects in the City to Work,
And rather than fail't would have brought in the Turk.
Then let us Endeavour , &c.
It Seiz'd on the Tow'r Guns,
Those fierce Demi-gorgons,
It set up the Bag-pipes, but pull'd down the Organs,
The Pulpits did Smoak,
Our church it did Choak,
And all our Religion was turned to a Cloak ;
It brought in lay Elders could not Write or Read :
It set publick Faith up, but pull'd down the Creed ;
Then let us endeavour, &c.

This Pious Impostor
Such Fury did Foster,
It left us no Penny nor no Pater Noster ;
It threw to the Ground
Ten Commandments down'
And set up twice Twenty Times Ten of its own :
It routed the King and Villains elected
To plunder all those whom they thought Disassected
Then let us Endeavour, &c

To blind Peoples Eyes
This Cloak was so Wise,
It took off Ship Money, but set up Excise :
Men brought in their Plate
For Reasons of State
And gave it to Tom Trumpeter and his Mate :
In Pamphlets it wrote many specious Epistles
To Couzen poor Wenches of Bodkins and Whistles.
Then let us Endeavour, &c.

In Pulpits it moved,
And was much Approved
For Crying out, Fight the Lord's Battles beloved ;
It Bobtatil'd the Gown,
Pull'd Prelacy down,
It trode on the Mitre to reach at the Crown ;
And into the Field it an Army did bring
To aim at the Council but shoot at the King,
Then let us Endeavour, &c.

It raised up States
Whose Politick Pates
Do now keep their Quarters on our City Gates ;
To Father and Mother
To Sister and Brother
It gave a Commission to kill one another :
It took up Men's Horses at very low Rates
And Plunder'd our Goods to secure our Estates,
Then let us Endeavour ,&c.

This Cloak did proceed
To a Damnable Deed,
It made the best Mirrour of Majesty Bleed :
Tho' Cloak did not do't
It set it on Foot
By rallying and calling his Journey Men to't :
For never had come such a bloody Disaster
If Cloak had not first drawn a Sword at his Master.
Then let us Endeavour, &c.

Tho some of'em went hence
By sorrowful Sentence,
This lofty long Cloak is not mov'd to Repentance ;
But he and his Men,                
Twenty Thousand times Times Ten,
Are Ploting to do their Tricks over again :
But let this proud Cloak to Authority stoop,
Or Catch will provide him a Button and Loop,
For we'll ever endeavour, &c.
Circa 1719