Five lassies weeping, looking fair distraught,
Five lassies weeping in the woodlands, O,
And they raile and they rage and their raging's caught
In a single grain of Time's sands, O.

Chorus
Why dae ye weep, my bonny lass
And why dae ye weep sae sair, O,
And why dae ye mak these salt tears fa'
Doon on the forest flair, O?

I weep for a thing I wad keep for masel
But my mither says "naw" I should share it as well
So I stamp and I scream and I'll raise Merry Hell,
That's why I weep sae sair, O.

Chorus: Why dae ye weep ...

I weep for the loss o' a freend that wis dear
Till she asked a bawbee but I gied her nae cheer
Sae ma freend turned her back and nae mair she'll come near,
That's why I weep sae sair, O.

Chorus: Why dae ye weep ...

I weep for a bonny lad drowned in the sea
And I weep to wash the sicht o' it oot o' ma e'e
And I weep for his hame that he'll never mair see,
That's why I weep sae sair, O.

I weep for a lesson that I learned ower late:
If ye dinna gie care ye'll maist likely mak hate
An' ye'll just gie Auld Nick a guid laugh at Hell's Gate,
That's why I weep sae sair, O.

Chorus: Why dae ye weep ...

I weep for the pains that we gie yin anither
And I weep for the pains that we gie oor Earth Mither
And I weep for the foulk that dae guid but still suffer,
That's why I weep sae sair, O

Chik originally wrote the lyrics for spoken word performance, as part of the "Inspired To Write" project run by Jupiter Artland, a sculpture park near Livingston. I was responding to five statues of girls crying. (You can see them and hear the spoken performance on their website.) The artist who made them, Laura Ford, has said that her inspiration was a story one of her friends told her, about the friend's daughter who was throwing a glorious tantrum one day while at the same time looking in the mirror to see the effect she was having. I stayed true to that at the beginning of my lyrics then went off on my own wee path, as I sometimes do. The "bonny lad drowned in the sea" is a reference to the wee Syrian boy.

Chik subsequently performed the piece at a Burns' Night celebration at The Bakehouse in Gatehouse of Fleet, where Chris Blantern and Denise Brownlee were also performing. Chris suggested setting the poem to music and wrote the tune a few weeks later. The the song was first performed live by Chris and Denise in The Masonic Arms in Gatehouse at the Big Lit Festival on the 14th April. The recorded version features Denise singing the lead verse vocal and the harmony in the chorus. Chris sings the tune in the chorus in addition to providing the mandocello accompaniment throughout and the harmony whistle duet instrumental (double tracked).

Chik grew up in Rutherglen, in Lanarkshire, and started writing at St. Columbkille's Primary School where teachers often asked if a drunken spider had been crawling all over his jotter. Chik has an Honours Degree in Philosophy from Glasgow University and has lived in London, Edinburgh, and Dundee among other places, has spent 4 years in a Tibetan Buddhist Monastery (Samyé Ling in Eskdalemuir). Chik describes himself as a writer, storyteller and performer of poyums.

Chris was born in Sheffield and has lived in Kirkcudbright for the last 10 years. He has a Masters degree from Lancaster Univeristy and, for a living, helps public sector organisations to to develp; their collective learning capacities. He is an amateur musician and writer and plays mandocello, mandolin, tenor banjo, whistle and bodhran. He’s been playing and singing in public for 35 years as well as helping to run several folk clubs in South Yorkshire and in Scotland. He has a lifelong love of Scottish traditional music and influences are Ossian, Dougie McClean, Nick Keir and the McCalmans.

Denise grew up in east Kilbride and has lived in Gatehouse of Fleet for 20 years. She is an artist, excels at creative crafts and is a musician and fine singer.

Denise and Chris have been singing together (Brownlee and Blantern) for the last 2 years