trad
On the 1951 recording of Jimmy McBeath, who shared the song with Alan Lomax and Hamish Henderson, Peter Hall wrote that it was attributed to a Besom Jimmy from the late 19th century.
Old Blind Dogs: Old Blind Dogs – Tramps and Hawkers
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VfwE128ZvVE
Chorus: Come aw ye tramps and hawker lads And gaitherers o blaw That tramps this country roon’ and roon’ Come listen ane and aw I’ll tell tae ye a rovin tale On sichts that I hae seen Far up intae the snowy north And south by Gretna Green I’ve seen the high Ben Nevis A-towerin tae the moon I’ve been by Crieff and Callander And roon’ by bonnie Doon And by the Nethy’s silvery tide And places ill tae ken Far up intae the stormy north Lies Urquhart’s fairy glen Oft hae I laucht untae maself When trudgin on the road Wi a bag o blaw upon ma back Ma face as broun’s a toad Wi lumps o cake and tattie scones And cheese and braxie ham Nae thinkin where I’m comin fae Or where I’m goin tae gang I’m happy in the summertime Beneath the bricht blue sky Nae thinkin in the mornin At nicht where I’ve to lie Barns or byres or onywhere Or oot among the hay And if the weather does permit I’m happy every day I’ve done my share o lumpin Wi the dockers on the Clyde I’ve helped the Buckie trawlers Pou the herrin ower the side I’ve helped tae build the mighty bridge That spans the Firth o Forth And wi mony an Angus fermer’s rig I’ve plowed the bonnie earth Loch Katrine and Loch Lomond Have aw been kent by me The Dee, the Don, the Deveron That rushes tae the sea Dunrobin Castle by the way I nearly had forgot And aye, the rickle o cairn marks At the house o John o Groat I’m often roon’ by Gallawa Or doun aboot Stranraer My business leads me onywhere I travel near and far I’ve got a rovin notion Thare’s nothin’ that I loss And aw the days my daily fare And what’ll pay my doss I think I’ll go tae Paddy’s land I’m makkin up ma mind For Scotland’s greatly altered now I canna raise the wind But I will trust in Providence If Providence proves true And I will sing o Erin’s isle E’er I get back tae you