The Braes o' Killiecrankie

Braes o' Killiecrankie is the name of four distinct folk songs, all originally from Scotland.

The version that begins with the line "Whare hae ye been sae braw, lad?" (Roud 8187) is the one discussed here. The versions that begin with the line "Clavers and his highland men" are either the Scots version (Roud 8188) or the USA version (Roud 2572). Finally there is another Scots version, that begins with the line "On a thistle I sat doon" (Roud 3363).

The Battle of Killiecrankie was fought in 1689, as part of the Jacobite rebellion. James Hogg made a collection of songs relating to the battles and campaigns. It was published as Jacobite Reliques in 1819. He lists this song simply as "Killiecrankie" (number 19 on page 32).

The first three verses and the chorus were written by Robert Burns and set to an older melody. Hogg may have had a hand in writing the additional verses.

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