“I put my whole heart into my verses, for they are the direct outcome of what I have felt and seen.”

Reflecting on the authentic connection between lived experience and literary expression · Autobiographical sketch / introductory note

• Experience
• Poetry
• Sincerity

“I am a railman first, but my heart is ever bound to the simple songs of our Scottish soil and workers.”

Reflecting on his life as a surfaceman and his enduring commitment to folk poetry · Prefatory remark / correspondence

• Identity
• Poetry
• Work