The Bonnie Howes o' Marnoch by Simon Brown

THE BONNIE HOWES O' MARNOCH By Simon Brown (Aberchirder lies within the Parish of Marnoch.) .
1.	I wis born in Marnoch's bonnie howe, Where the green trees and the bracken growe, The trouties loupin' in the river, It's a place that I will myn' foriver.	8.	There is a bonnie windin' rill, Comes doon tae Jimmy's aul' meal mill, An' it wis there that it did turn the wheel, Tae grind wir corn intae meal.
2.	A myn' when I was jist a bairn, Ma father he hid Euchrie ferm, Frae dawn tae dusk, he there did toil, Tae wrest his livin' frae the soil.	9.	There's Tillydoon and Ardmeallie braes, Far ye'll see the sheep and cattle graze, An' Turtory 'till the river lies, Far ye'll see the fishers cast their flies.
3.	He kept twa horses, plou to pul, They wid ca' the neeps and ful the mull An' you would see them on a sunny morn' Cuttin' doon the golden corn.	10.	There's Sheep's Park and there's Cairnhill, Monedie Ferm richt 'till Cleanhill, An' in the howe ye've Garronha' An' Kinnairdy Castle gairds them a'.
4.	Ma father wis an honest man, Aye ready wi a helpin' han', Wir mithir reared us wi' great care, Fir she had little time tae spare.	11.	An' Kinnairdy Mill lies in the howe, Half hidden by the trees that's growe, The wheel staun's silent, the miller's gone, A relic o' the days bygone.
5.	Fan I wis five ma mither says, Ye'll hae tae get some better claes, An' on ma back a bag wis strappit, An' intae it ma piece was packit.	12.	Now Marnoch Lodge lies by the brig, Wi their gairdens a sae neat an' trig, An' up the road ye've got Greenfaul' Far the Duncan's fermed in days a aul.
6.	The wie I set oot, though unca thrawn, Ma sister had me by the haun', An' it's in that roadside we did rin, My education til begin.	13.	There is a churchyard by the river, There lies ma father and ma mither, There's plenty ither folk forbye, They've earned their rest and there they lie.
7.	Now Marnoch Kirk lies on the brae, Biggit lang afore my day, An' every Sunday we'd go there, Tae sing a sang or say a prayer.	14.	Sure then I've travelled far an' wide, Far fae ma ain Deveronside, But I am fairly safe tae vow, Neen compares wi' Marnoch's bonny howe.
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