Boat to America                                                                                                  © Alan G Brydon

From a pile of grey stone, that once was our home

High on a hillside we built a wee cairn

We were marking the land that fed five generations

Now the life of a lamb is worth more than a bairn

True as the blue of the ocean ahead

Thoughts of the homeland are strong in the mind

The greens and the purples, the crags and the crevices

Noble Ben Nevis is an ocean behind.

Chorus

And we’re sailing away on a boat to America

We carry our lives in the palm of our hands

The new world will find us, with the highlands behind us

And our hearts carry Scotland, to a far away land

Bravely the minister clutches his bible

A reach for survival in every word said

Never before has his faith been so tested

In prayers for the hungry, the sick and the dead

We had precious few pennies and maist o’ them spent

No jobs were waiting, no arms open wide

And what could we wish for but food on the table

Clothes for the winter and work for our pride

Chorus

I have hands that will grasp any task you can offer me

Arms that will lift any load you can bring

A head that will listen and learn how you’re thinking

A heart that beats strong as the spirit within

There were many before us and many would follow

Kindred from Ireland and Welshmen besides

They laid the foundation that built a great nation

The heart of America’s Celtic with Pride

Chorus (2)