The Highland Balou
written in 1794
The Highland Balou - meaning Summary
Highland Lullaby of Mischief
This short song is a playful Highland lullaby addressed to a baby named Donald. The speaker admires the child as a little version of Clanronald and teases that the infant will grow into a roguish young thief—stealing ponies and cattle, raiding lowland areas, then returning triumphantly to the Highlands. The tone mixes affectionate boasting and comic bravado, blending maternal warmth with clan pride. It treats border raiding as charming folklore rather than literal endorsement, presenting Highland identity through affectionate exaggeration and rural, kin-centered imagery.
Read Complete AnalysesHee-balou, my sweet, wee Donald, Picture o' the great Clanronald; Brawlie kens our wanton Chief Wha gat my wee Highland thief. Leeze me on thy bonie craigie, And thou live, thou'll steal a naigie, Travel the country thro' and thro', And bring hame a Carlisle cow. Thro' the Lawlands, o'er the Border, Weel, my babie, may thou furder: Herry the louns o' the laigh Countrie, Syne to the Highlands hame to me.
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