To be sung to the tune of Tannenbaum or The Red Flag [same thing]
Chorus
Come rain and gales and whirling snow,
We've seen it all before and so
We raise a paw and swear that we
To farm and flock will faithful be.
1
In byres and yards across this land
You'll find our multifarious band
Of collies who, though farmers scowl,
To pass the time this anthem yowl.
2
We may be muddy and unkempt,
And may have fleas and smell a bit,
We let folk in and then attempt
To bite their heels, we must admit.
3
But when the farmer whistles us
And duty calls, then with no fuss
We roll right through a five-bar gate
And all his needs anticipate.
4
We dip our tails, and crouch nearby
To hear, "Away!" or else "Come by!"
For we are clever, we're so bright
We know our left paw from our right.
5
That gate-roll is a skill innate
No other breed can imitate;
While other dogs are thwarted quite
We're up the mountain out of sight.
6
From puppyhood we know that we
Were born to fetch from slope and scree,
From pasture, meadow, mountains steep,
Those fascinating creatures -- sheep.
7
Though some of us are less than brave
We teach those sheep how to behave,
We fix them with a glassy stare
And disobey they do not dare.
8
We yearn not for a life of ease
And only want the boss to please.
We're kind to ewe's with new-born lambs
And stand our ground 'gainst bolshy rams.
9
The barn is cleared, it's time to shear,
And men from neighbours' farms are here.
We know today amidst turmoil
We shall not rest from farmyard toil.
10
We'll work for hours and hours until
Every sheep is off the hill
Oh lanolin, oh lanolin,
The
smell of sheep all gathered in.
11
No matter how they shout and curse
[And some of them do even worse],
Each farmer knows one truth of old:
A collie's worth is more than gold
12
Though poodles sleep on satin beds
And we in barns and draughty sheds.
And when we die, in fields we lie
With grazing sheep above our heads.
Chorus
Come rain and gales and whirling snow,
We've seen it all before and so
We raise a paw and swear that we
To farm and flock will faithful be.
Back to the Sheepdoggerel Anthology
Memoirs of a Border Collie
