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 recognize their accent and they'll tell you that you're wrong
But there is no mistaking where they're from

You'll find them in the jungle or sailing on the sea
And if you go to China boys it's there they'll surely be
Wherever you might see them they will look like they belong
But there is no mistaking where they're from

They're from the streets of Aberdeen and the small border towns
From 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 wi' a sad and whisky eye
And the tea planter's family they've been living there so long
But there is no mistaking where they're from

They're from the streets of Aberdeen and the small border towns
From 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

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 look like they belong
But there is no mistaking where they're from