I grew up listening to The Bard's "Irish Coffee" album. As a child every song seemed more magic that the last, with "Come to the Hills" perhaps the enchanting of all. Until recently, I took the description on the back cover -- "a song extolling the beauties of Ireland" -- at face value.
However the story is a bit more complicated. The lyrics were written by W. Gordon Smith, a Scottish playwright, documentary filmmaker, and arts champion. At some point or another, he wrote the lyrics to "Come By The Hills," setting it to the tune of the traditional Irish-language song, "Buachaill o'n Éirne Mé."
"Come by the hills to the land where fancy is free
And stand where the peaks meet the sky and the lochs meet the sea
Where the rivers run clear and the bracken is gold in the sun
Ah, the cares of to-morrow can wait 'til this day is done
Oh, come by the hills to the land where life is a song
And sing while the birds fill the air with their joy all day long
Where the trees sway in time and even the wind sings in tune
Ah, the cares of to-morrow can wait 'til this day is done
Come by the hills to the land where legend re-mains
Where stories of old fill the heart and may yet come a-gain
Where our past has been lost and the future has still to be won
Ah, the cares of to-morrow can wait 'til this day is done."