I hae left the lands o the Orient
And traivelled the warld wide
Tae find the faither o my bairn
And rest there by his side
We found him in the desert sand
Sair woundit fae the fray
I took him tae my faither's tent
To tend him monies the day
His wounds wi silk I bandaged roon
Wi ointments rich and rare
I washed them daily wi my tears
And dried them wi my hair
La, la, la de de da
I sing the live long day
The stinging of the cruel wind
And the song of the saracen maid
My hips were girded wi tinkling coins
My briests wi the jasmine flower
When we lay in a silken desert tent
For monies a lovin hour
And the crescent moon filled the desert sky
Like the crest on a Saracen shield
And the stars o the east sang "Bismillah!"
Ower the lovers' silken bield
But I left the palms and the desert sands
For the pines o Bennachie
For the sake o the luve o a Templar lad
Who has cruelly dealt wi me
La, la, la de de da
I sing the live long day
The stinging of the cruel wind
And the song of the saracen maid
Now I shiver in the blast o the cauld, cauld wind
At the back o' Bennachie
And I greet at the grave o my bonnie, bonnie bairn
Wha ne'er again I'll see
So sing the song o Persephone
Wha traivelled this warld wide
What set her bearings for the north
With the lodestone o love as her guide
And when the simmer comes tae the Garioch-oh
Of an evening you may sense
A zephyr blaw ower Bennachie
Cairryin the fragrance o Frankincense
La, la, la de de da
I sing the live long day
The stinging of the cruel wind
And the song of the saracen maid