A Croft In Clachan (The Ballad Of Rob MacDunn)

With the Campbells and McDonalds It was in their blood to fight With each passing generation it Became a mans birthright But they always had a common enemy Never would the English crown Take Scottish independency Oh the battles rage in Glasgow and majestic Edinburgh And they came with war machines and In the highlands shots were heard Then the people rose in union and The forces moved as one And the Clans all joined together to See English on the run And in a tiny croft in Clachan sat a mother Peg Macdunn And she sewed the cords together for Her 16 year old son And she cried as he was leaving, donâ And come you back to Clachan when The English are all done Now Rob Macdunn was ready as The left the croft behind And he joined the highland pipe brigade With one thing on his mind That to keep his home and freedom he Must face it like a man So he marched in common union with His musket in his hand And he met the hill of battle In the highlands and the low And the reason for the fighting long Within his blood to know In the middle of the rumble He was forward gaining ground And the bagpipes still were piping as The dead lay all around Then he moved in no direction till He faced the winds of North And he boldly climbed the highlands Further from the Firth of Forth Then one freezing, blowing morning Came the cry of Peg Macdunn Back to my croft in Clachan God Has sent me home my son And in another croft in Clachan cross The way from the Macdunnâ With her face against the window Sat a young girl, tired and worn And she smiled a secret knowing as She breathed a prayer alone: "I thank thee, Lord For bringing Rob Macdunn back safely home" Back to the croft in Clachan He returned to peace again He had gone a boy of 16 But he came back as a man