Westering Home
"Westering Home" was written by Hugh S. Roberton in the 1920s. It may be derived from the Irish Gaelic song "Trasna na dTonnta". It runs as follows:
Chorus
Westering home, and a song in the air,
At hame wi' my ain folk in Islay.
Light in the eye and it's goodbye to care.
Laughter o' love, and a welcoming there,
Isle of my heart, my own one.
Verse 1
Tell me o' lands o' the Orient gay,
Speak o' the riches and joys o' Cathay;
Eh, but it's grand to be wakin' ilk day
To find yourself nearer to Islay.
Verse 2
Where are the folk like the folk o' the west?
Canty and couthy and kindly, the best.
There I would hie me and there I would rest
Ilk means each. Canty means neat or trim. Couthy means homely, simple, unpretentious. Islay is pronounced "Isla".