"Cam' Ye by Atholl" is a Scottish Jacobite folk song. The words were written by

James Hogg James Hogg (1770 – 21 November 1835) was a Scottish poet, novelist and essayist who wrote in both Scots and English. As a young man he worked as a shepherd and farmhand, and was largely self-educated through reading. He was a friend of many ...

and it is traditionally sung to a tune by Neil Gow, Junior, the son of

Nathaniel Gow Nathaniel Gow (28 May 1763 – 19 January 1831) was a Scottish musician who was the fourth son of Niel Gow, and a celebrated performer, composer and arranger of tunes, songs and other pieces on his own right. He wrote about 200 compositions inc ...

. The song, which celebrates the

Jacobite rising of 1745 The Jacobite rising of 1745, also known as the Forty-five Rebellion or simply the '45 ( gd, Bliadhna Theàrlaich, , ), was an attempt by Charles Edward Stuart to regain the British throne for his father, James Francis Edward Stuart. It took ...

, takes the form of a "gathering song" to recruit Jacobites and makes reference to many of the places and people associated with the rebellion. Hogg wrote in ''Songs, by the Ettrick shepherd'' (1831) that he was surprised it had become so popular; he had "dashed down the words at random" after being given the tune by Gow and considered it "one of his worst". Cam' Ye by Atholl was chosen by

Queen Victoria Victoria (Alexandrina Victoria; 24 May 1819 – 22 January 1901) was Queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland from 20 June 1837 until her death in 1901. Her reign of 63 years and 216 days was longer than that of any previ ...

to be performed for her by John Wilson during her visit to

Taymouth Castle Taymouth Castle is situated to the north-east of the village of Kenmore, Perth and Kinross, in the Highlands of Scotland, in an estate which encompasses 450 acres. It lies on the south bank of the River Tay, about a mile from Loch Tay, in the h ...

in 1842. Recordings of the song have been included in albums by

The Corries The Corries were a Scottish folk group that emerged from the Scottish folk revival of the early 1960s. The group was a trio from their formation until 1966 when founder Bill Smith left the band but Roy Williamson and Ronnie Browne continued ...

(''Those Wild Corries'', 1966), Kenneth McKellar (''Songs of Jacobite Risings'', 1996), Gaberlunzie (''Superstition'', 2005) and Alastair McDonald (''Songs Around Scotland'', 2007). It is listed in the

Roud Folk Song Index The Roud Folk Song Index is a database of around 250,000 references to nearly 25,000 songs collected from oral tradition in the English language from all over the world. It is compiled by Steve Roud (born 1949), a former librarian in the Londo ...

as #7287, including variants titled as "I hae ae bit son".

Lyrics

Cam' ye by Athol, lad wi' the philabeg, Down by the Tummel, or banks of the Garry? Saw ye the lads, wi' their bonnets an' white cockades, Leaving their mountains to follow

Prince Charlie Charles Edward Louis John Sylvester Maria Casimir Stuart (20 December 1720 – 30 January 1788) was the elder son of James Francis Edward Stuart, grandson of James II and VII, and the Stuart claimant to the thrones of England, Scotland and ...

. ''Chorus'' Follow thee, follow thee, wha wadna follow thee? Long has thou lov'd an' trusted us fairly! Charlie, Charlie, wha wadna follow thee? King o' the

Highland Highlands or uplands are areas of high elevation such as a mountainous region, elevated mountainous plateau or high hills. Generally speaking, upland (or uplands) refers to ranges of hills, typically from up to while highland (or highlands) is ...

hearts, bonnie Charlie. I hae but ae son, my gallant young Donald; But if I had ten, they should follow Glengarry; Health to MacDonald and gallant Clanranald, For these are the men that will die for their Charlie. ''Chorus'' I'll go to Lochiel, and

Appin Appin ( gd, An Apainn) is a coastal district of the Scottish West Highlands bounded to the west by Loch Linnhe, to the south by Loch Creran, to the east by the districts of Benderloch and Lorne, and to the north by Loch Leven. It lies northeast ...

, and kneel to them; Down by Lord Murray and Roy of Kildarlie; Brave Mackintosh, he shall fly to the field wi' them; These are the lads I can trust wi' my Charlie. ''Chorus'' Down by thro' the

Lowlands Upland and lowland are conditional descriptions of a plain based on elevation above sea level. In studies of the ecology of freshwater rivers, habitats are classified as upland or lowland. Definitions Upland and lowland are portions of p ...

, down wi' the whigamore, Loyal true Highlanders, down wi' them rarely; Ronald and Donald drive on wi' the braid claymore, Over the necks o' the foes o' Prince Charlie. ''Chorus''

References

{{reflist Jacobite songs Scottish folk songs Songs about princes Works by James Hogg