THE DAY I LEFT THE SCHOOL
 

I mind the day I left the school,

It's many years past noo,

I danced as I ne'er danced before,

With joy my he'rt was fu',

Nae mair would I receive the tawse,

Or fear the teacher's ire,

My books wi' glee I carried hame,

And threw them in the fire.

A happy hour it was indeed,

From tedious lessons free,

With arithmetic and geometry,

I never could agree,

 They caused me many a skelp and daud,

And many a bitter tear,

T'was seldom I could get them richt,

But now the hour was near.

The hour for long that I had sighed,

Aye, sighed for night and day,

To leave the schoolroom for a while,

Forever, hip hurray,

Farewell to teachers, maps and books,

With problems stiff and sour,

Farewell my playmates yin and a',

At last comes freedom's hour.

I pictured then how great t'would be,

To go and work 'mongst men,

To see how this and that was made,

Learn a' that was to ken,

Buy a' the things that I would like,

And widnae it be fine,

With burning prospects in my he'rt,

I joined the working line.

That morning saw me early up,

My harness spic and span,

Thrilled with my new experience,

I lilted and I sang,

My Mother viewed me head to foot,

And proud indeed was she,

But now I ken what wrought the tear,

That filled her loving e'e.

She kent what I had yet to learn,

That all my well drawn schemes,

Might burst, come rattling to the ground,

Then float away like dreams,

That some day soon on life's rough road,

The past would hold me still,

And I would recollect the wish,

I were back again at school.

Aye, back at school how many times,

We view those sunny days,

When life was all a fairy land,

And full of pleasant bays,

When sport and fun were in the soul,

And vigour in the frame,

0' to be young and 0' to be young,

And live it all o'er again.
 

John Haining.