Lyrics
My luve's in Germanie, send him hame, send him hame;
My luve's in Germanie, send him hame;
My luve's in Germanie,
Fighting brave for royalty:
He may ne'er his Jeanie see—
Send him hame.
He's as brave as brave can be—send him hame, send him hame;
He's as brave as brave can be—send him hame;
He's as brave as brave can be,
He wad rather fa' than flee;
His life is dear to me—
Send him hame.
Your luve ne'er learnt to flee, bonnie dame, bonnie dame,
Your luve ne'er learnt to flee, bonnie dame;
Your luve ne'er learnt to flee,
But he fell in Germanie,
In the cause of royalty,
Bonnie dame.
He'll ne'er come ower the sea—Willie's slain, Willie's slain;
He'll ne'er come ower the sea—Willie's gane!
He'll ne'er come ower the sea,
Tae his luve and ain countrie:
This warld's nae mair for me—
Willie's gane!
"My Love’s in Germany" (My Luve's in Germanie) is a poem written by Scottish poet Hector Macneill.[1][2] It was first printed in 1794 and is the lament of a Scottish woman for her lover.[3]
The song was re-published in 1885 by Colonel David Balfour as an Orkney melody composed by Colonel Thomas Traill around 1630. Traill, who was from Holland and had been living in Papa Westray, was a soldier in the army of Gustavus Adolphus, also known as Germany Thomas, during the Thirty Years' War.[4]
The tune was later used by Robert Burns for his song Ye Jacobites by Name.