They built the bridges and the tunnels
Climbed the hills that bear their names
Always first to charge in battle
And the first to charge again
You can recognise their accent
And they'll tell you that you're wrong but,
There is no mistaking where they're from
In the middle of the deepest jungle
There they are again
I flew across to China
And they met me off the plane
Wherever you may see them
Well they look like they belong but,
There is no mistaking where they're from
Chorus
They're from the streets of Aberdeen and the small border town
The Hebridean Islands and all the country round
They travelled to a new land and they sing a different song, but
There is no mistaking where they're from
There's a nurse at the mission
With a doctor standing by
And the old man in the corner
With a sad, whisky eye
And the tea-planter's widow
Now she's been here so long, but
There is no mistaking where they're from
Some are bad, some are good,
The angels and the thieves
The explorer, who finds the land
And never ever leaves
The weary adventurer,
Who just keep moving on, but
There is no mistaking where they're from
They're the ones who write the stories
And they never hesitate
To face up to the challenges
And punch above their weight
They live in every country
And they try to call it home, but,
There is no mistaking where they're from
Climbed the hills that bear their names
Always first to charge in battle
And the first to charge again
You can recognise their accent
And they'll tell you that you're wrong but,
There is no mistaking where they're from
In the middle of the deepest jungle
There they are again
I flew across to China
And they met me off the plane
Wherever you may see them
Well they look like they belong but,
There is no mistaking where they're from
Chorus
They're from the streets of Aberdeen and the small border town
The Hebridean Islands and all the country round
They travelled to a new land and they sing a different song, but
There is no mistaking where they're from
There's a nurse at the mission
With a doctor standing by
And the old man in the corner
With a sad, whisky eye
And the tea-planter's widow
Now she's been here so long, but
There is no mistaking where they're from
Some are bad, some are good,
The angels and the thieves
The explorer, who finds the land
And never ever leaves
The weary adventurer,
Who just keep moving on, but
There is no mistaking where they're from
They're the ones who write the stories
And they never hesitate
To face up to the challenges
And punch above their weight
They live in every country
And they try to call it home, but,
There is no mistaking where they're from