My friends, let me warn you that the history behind this innocuous-sounding song is right in my wheelhouse, or up my alley, or whatever expression you want to use. I’ll try to rein myself in, but it’s going to be hard. So hang in there with me to find out more than you thought possible about a song you’ve probably heard many times but never questioned. Let me just quote the chorus before we get started:
O you take the high road, and I’ll take the low road,
And I’ll be in Scotland afore ye,
But me and my true love will never meet again,
On the bonnie, bonnie banks of Loch Lomond.
The person who takes the low road is going to get to Scotland first, but he won’t ever see his true love again. So is he better off than the person who’s taking the high road? Well, it depends on the specific way that the words are interpreted.