Written by Charlie Allan and recorded in 1980, Lonely In The Bothy is based on the life of Gordon Paterson, the grieve and cattleman of Little Ardo farm in the 70s. The song laments the loneliness of life for a single man on the farm in the North East of Scotland.
Oh fan I gaed in tae Ardo Well the boss had nae a clue He couldna back a tractor cairt There wis nae wey he cuid ploo Therefore I got aa the wirk tae dae That suited me jist fine And I bade in a little timmer bothy.
CHORUS Oh the cauld wins they blaw in aneth My timmer bothy door An the moosies they jouk in an oot The knotholes in the floor But that’s nae the warst o bein here Discomforts I can thole Fur it’s lonely at nicht in the bothy.
Well I’ll sort the mannie’s funcy bulls An pit them oot tae Perth An I ken that I’m the best showman That iver waalked the earth Bit fan aa the judgin’s ower wi An fan aa the siller’s won It’s back tae my little timmer bothy.
Well I’ve nae wife tae tie me doon Sae I’m aye on the loose And ilka nicht I can be found At Waldie’s public hoose But ye canna blame a man Fur takin comforts filst he can Fur it’s lonely at nicht in the bothy.
Fancy celebrating St Andrew’s Day by learning some Scots Songs over Zoom? 🎶 🏴 Connect with other like-minded folks from all over the world with an interest in Scots language, traditional music and song.
Award-winning folksinger Iona Fyfe will be hosting an online Scots Song Workshop on Monday 30th November at 20:00 GMT. The workshop is open to people of all ages and abilities from all over the world. No fluency in Scots is required and all resources will be sent to you.
We will learn 2-3 songs in the Scots language and will do some listening of source, revivalist and contemporary interpretations of the songs also. Lyrics, language guides, and accompanying recording links will be provided in PDF format via email.
The Zoom link and accompanying resources will be sent to the email you sign up with at around 19:00pm on the day of the workshop.
📣 Tickets via Bandcamp on sale now. Free to Patreon ‘Learn A Scots Song’ tier subscribers. Join → www.patreon.com/ionafyfe
🆓 Free bursary places for low income/unwaged folks on a no questions asked basis. Just get in touch via ionafyfe.com/contact
👋 All abilities welcome
🔗 Book via link in bio
Iona has delivered Scots Language and Song workshops in various formats across the UK, Canada and the USA including at the University of Aberdeen, Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz, the Old Town School of Folk Music in Chicago and the Freight and Salvage in Berkeley California.
Aberdeenshire folksinger, Iona Fyfe, has become one of Scotland’s finest singers, rooted deeply in the singing traditions of the North East of Scotland. In 2021, she became the first singer to win the coveted title of Musician of the Year at the MG ALBA Scots Trad Music Awards. Iona is a fierce advocate for the official recognition of the Scots Language, leading a successful campaign to pressure Spotify into recognising Scots and add it to its list of languages. Honoured at the Scots Language Awards with the title of Speaker of the Year in 2021, She won the title of Scots Singer of the Year at the MG ALBA Scots Trad Music Awards in 2018 and was described as “one of the best Scotland has to offer.” (Global-Music.de)
I can’t believe it’s been a full year since my Rector installation at the University of Aberdeen. These photos were taken by Brian Stewart on 16th September 2025. There’s over a year left of my term, and whilst it’s a challenging role, I love it! 🎓
Fancy celebrating European Folk Day by learning some Scots Songs over Zoom? 🌿 🌸 🏴 Connect with other like-minded folks from all over the world with an interest in Scots language, traditional music and song.
Award-winning folksinger Iona Fyfe will be hosting an online Scots Song Workshop on Wednesday 23rd September at 20:00 BST as part of European Folk Day. The workshop is open to people of all ages and abilities from all over the world. No fluency in Scots is required and all resources will be sent to you.
We will learn 2-3 songs in the Scots language and will do some listening of source, revivalist and contemporary interpretations of the songs also. Lyrics, language guides, and accompanying recording links will be provided in PDF format via email.
The Zoom link and accompanying resources will be sent to the email you sign up with at around 18:30pm on the day of the workshop.
Tickets via Bandcamp, on sale now. ❗️ Free to Patreon ‘Learn A Scots Song’ tier subscribers. Join → www.patreon.com/ionafyfe
Looking for a post-Scots Language Awards sing song? I’m performing at 17:00 at the Steps Theatre in Dundee on 19th September for Dundee Fringe. Award-winning Scottish folksinger Iona Fyfe will perform an intimate solo show at the Steps Theatre of traditional ballads, self-penned and Scots songs self-accompanied on piano.
📍Dundee Fringe, The Steps Theatre, The Wellgate 🗓️ Sat 19 Sept ⏰ 17:00 (60 min) 💰 £10 + £1 online BF 🎟️ Tickets → https://bit.ly/dundeefringe
#ScotsLanguage #DundeeFringe and #DundeeFringe26 #ScottishMusic
