The original version of the song, published in 1957, closely paraphrases the Tannahill version, which was published posthumously in 1822.The following is a chronological list of recordings of the song.

Will [D] you go, [G] Lassie, [D] go?

Oh, the s [D] ummer t [G] ime is c [D] oming and the l [G] eaves are s [G/F#] weetly t [D] urning.

The following is a chronological list of recordings of the song.

Wild Mountain Thyme Byrds. G: 320033 G/F#: 200033 / D G D G G/F# D Oh, the summer time is coming and the leaves are sweetly turning / G F#m Em G G/F# Em And the wild mountain thyme blooms across the purple heather / D "Wild Mountain Thyme" was first recorded by McPeake's nephew, also named Francis McPeake, in 1957 for the BBC series While Francis McPeake holds the copyright to the song, it is generally believed that rather than writing the song, he arranged an existing travelling folk version and popularised the song as his father's.

And the w [G] ild m [F#m] ountain [Em] thyme looms a [G] cross the [G/F#] purple h [Em] eather. If you will not [G] go with [D] me I will s [G] urely [G/F#] find a [D] nother.

The existing tune of "Wild Mountain Thyme" is significantly different from Tannahill's "The Braes of Balquhither", which was most likely based on a traditional air.

For the European plant, see BBC Radio 2 program "Folk on Two", broadcast in the 1970s by Jim Lloyd "Purple Heather" redirects here.
Wild Mountain Thyme was originally a Scottish folk song collected and written by Francis McPeake 1st; Roger McGuinn introduced the song to The Byrds after learning it from Pete Seeger’s rendition.
In an 1854 publication, George Farquhar Graham notes that Tannahill's song was set to the air "Bochuiddar" (Balquidder), as found in Captain Simon Fraser's McPeake is said to have dedicated the song to his first wife, but his son wrote an additional verse in order to celebrate his father's remarriage.