We're a' met thegither here tae sit an' tae crack,

                                        Wi' oor glesses in oor hands an' oor wark upon oor back;

                                        For there's nae a trade amang them a' can either mend or mak',

                                        Gin it qasna for the wark o' the weavers.

 

                                        Chorus :

                                        If it wasna for the weavers what wad they do?

                                        They wadna hae claith made oot o' oor woo';

                                        They wadna hae a coat, neither black nor blue,

                                        Gin it wasna for the wark o' the weavers.

 

                                        There's some folk independent o' ither tradesmen's wark,

                                        For women need nae barber an' dyker's need nae clerk;

                                        But there's no ane o' them but needs a coat an' a sark,

                                        No, they canna want the wark o' the weavers.

 

                                        There's smiths an' there's wrights and there's mason chiels an' a',

                                        There's doctors an' there's meenisters an' them that live by law,

                                        An' oor freens that bide oot ower the sea in Sooth America,

                                        An' they a' need the wark o' the weavers.

 

                                        Oor sodgers an' oor sailors, oh, we mak' them a' bauld,

                                        For gin they hadna claes, faith, they couldna fecht for cauld;

                                        The high an' low, the rich an' puir - a'body young an' auld,

                                        They a' need the wark o' the weavers.

 

                                        So the weavin' is a trade that never can fail,

                                        Sae lang's we need ae cloot tae haud anither hale,

                                        Sae let us a' be merry ower a bicker o' guid ale.

                                        An' drink tae the health o' the weavers.

 

 

Footnote : This song by David Shaw of Forfar is a reminder of the position in the Scottish community of weavers before the days of manufactories. Weavers were, by and large, well self-educated and radical in their opinions and support for parliamentary reform. Many, such as Strathaven's James Wilson who suffered execution for his part in the 1820 Rising, were active in the 'United Scotsmen'.