Graduation song

Here is a song I wrote for the occasion of a surprise graduation party for William Ross Blackburn, a friend who received his doctoral degree from St. Andrews this summer:

Graduation Song of William R. Blackburn
(Sung to the tune of “Jock McGraw”)


Behold, my name is Rossie B.,
My favorite foods are haggis and tea;
The finest place I ever hae been
Is South Bowhill near quaint Peat Inn.

Now, Scotland is a land of pheasant and sheep,
Of heathery hills and craigies steep;
And the Blackburn name has the ring of a Scot,
But when I waggle my tongue, folks know I’m not.

Chorus:

Supervisors come, and Examiners go,
Learnin’ foreign tongues is a breeze, heigh-ho!
And now I’ve completed, with very little fuss,
“The Missionary He’rt o’ the Exodus”.


I thocht I’d bide but a year or twa,
When I told my wife, all she said was “Ah.”
To hersel’ she’d say, “he’ll spend his days,
Turnin’ gray in college at old St. A.’s.

I mused by day, and I dreamed by night,
And I filled my mind with a noble sight
Of lights, on a stage, and a thunderous clap--
It was Ross in a robe and St. Andy’s cap.

Chorus:


I recall a day with great chagrin,
When my thesis was three-quarters din.
It was digitally stored on a wee PC,
And a blackguard thief pinched the goods frae me.

But a friend—Ah yes!—had a backup disk,
And although we knew we’d run a risk,
He sent it by post o’er the Sea to the States,
And my thanks resounded in the city gates.

Chorus:

Our lads would assemble from near and far,
Each week at the pub for the Seminar;
I praised in song the Canonical Approach,
To impress Chris Seitz, my Divinity Coach.

But Wenham and MacDonald both looked askance,
And scorned to join my exegetical dance;
In the end they changed their Scholarly tune,
And gave me the nod in the month of June.

Chorus: