Band o' Shearers
Lyrics and music Traditional
Performed by Neidfyre on Duck Feet Wadling

Summer days and heather bells
Come reelin o'er yon hieland hills;
There's yellow corn in all the fields,
And the autumn brings the shearin.

Bonnie Lassie will ye gang
And shear with me the whole day lang?
And love will cheer us as we gang
Tae join yon band o' shearers.

And gin the weather be o'er hot
I'll cast my gravat and me coat,
And share wi' ye amang the lot,
As they gang tae the shearin'

And gin the thistle be o'er strang,
And pierce your lily, milk white hand,
It's wi' me heuch I'll cut it doon,
And we'll gang tae the band o' shearers.

And gin the weather be o'er dry,
They'll say there's love twixt you and I,
We'll slyly pass each other by
And we'll join yon band o' shearers

And when the shearin; it is done,
And yonder sets the evenin sun,
We'll have some rantin, roarin fun,
And forget the toils of the shearin

So bonnie lassie bricht and fair,
Will ye be mine for ever mair?
Gin ye'll be mine, syne I'll be thine,
And we'll gang nae mair tae the shearin.

Background from an unknown source: The shearing was mostly done by women. The value of a day's work was calculated by the number of thraives cut. A thraive consisted of two stooks of twelve sheaves each. To cut seven or eight sheaves was considered a good day's work for a shearer. After the introduction of the scythe in 1810, the best men cut the corn, the women gathered into sheaves and made the bands, while younger men, as a rule, bound and stooked the sheaves. The bandster could claim a kiss from the gatherer for each band whose knot slipped in the binding. This was very possibly a work song sung in the cornfields while working to keep up motivation.

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