Brian McNeill
It dances through the tunnels of the city
On the echoes o' the concrete and the steel
Noo you think you're homeward bound - sir, you're following the sound
And you're walking tae the rhythm o' the reel.
You listen to the voices as you watch him
He's a thief, he's a beggar, he's a lie
But he's playing tae the spin o' the siller linking in
And he never hears the voices passing by.
He's a half-finished heart who's beating out o' time
He's a loser wi' nothing left to lose
Will he find the way back home or will he take the road again
Will the Devil's only daughter ever let the busker choose.
First you try to buy him with your pity
Here's a shilling, man, tae buy yourself a dram
But when he looks you in the eye you know your charity's a lie
For your pity, sir, he does not give a damn.
For it's the fiddle o' the man who drives the bargain
It's the bonnie wooden witch who calls the tune
And if you fall beneath her spell, sir, you've spent your shilling well
And you can listen till the rising o' the moon.
He's a half-finished hero who's frightened of the dark
He's a fighter who never wants to fight
He's the blindest of the blind but if he ever finds his eyes
Will the Devil's only daughter let the busker see the light.
And when he plays the Wind will shake the Barley
And the Nightingale will sing to Reynardine
And the Spey will be in Spate for Miss MacLeod and Bonnie Kate
When they're dancing wi' the Navvy on the Line.
He's a half-finished song who's looking for a tune
He's a riddle who's waiting for the rhyme
And if your heart knows the answer then perhaps you'll understand
Why the Devil's only daughter makes the busker walk the line.