Read The Canongate Burns Online
Authors: Robert Burns
The Canongate Burns (138 page)
First printed in Johnson, 1796.
THE Taylor he cam here to sew,
      And weel he kend the way to woo,
well, knew
For ay he pree'd the lassie's mou,
tasted/tried, mouth
      As he gaed but and ben O.
went out and in
First Chorus
5
For weel he kend the way O
well, knew
      The way, O, the way O,
For weel he kend the way, O,
      The lassie's heart to win O.
The Taylor rase and sheuk his duds,
rose, shook, clothes
10
      The flaes they flew awa in cluds,
fleas, away, clouds
And them that stay'd gat fearfu' thuds,
got, thumps
      The Taylor prov'd a man O. â
Final Chorus
For now it was the gloamin,
      The gloamin, the gloamin,
15
For now it was the gloamin
      When a' to rest are gaun O. â
all, gone
This is unsigned in the S.M.M. It has some similarities to a song in the Herd Collection (1769) but is modelled on the 1776 broadside sheet
The Taylor of Hogerglen's Wedding
, with some minor ammendments: only the final chorus is exclusively from Burns.
First printed in Johnson, 1796.
THERE grows a bonie brier-bush in our kail-yard,
vegetable patch
There grows a bonie brier-bush in our kail-yard;
And below the bonie brier-bush there's a lassie and a lad,
And they're busy, busy courting in our kail-yard. â
5
We'll court nae mair below the buss in our kail-yard,
no more, bush
We'll court nae mair below the buss in our kail-yard;
We'll awa to Athole's green, and there we'll no be seen,
not
Where the trees and the branches will be our safe-guard. â
Will ye go to the dancin in Carlyle's ha',
10
Will ye go to the dancin in Carlyle's ha';
Whare Sandy and Nancy I'm sure will ding them a'?
where, excel
I winna gang to the dance in Carlyle-ha'.
will not go
What will I do for a lad, when Sandie gangs awa?
goes
What will I do for a lad, when Sandie gangs awa?
15
I will awa to Edinburgh and win a pennie fee,
away, servant work
And see an onie lad will fancy me. â
if any
He's comin frae the North that's to marry me,
from
He's comin frae the North that's to marry me;
A feather in his bonnet and a ribbon at his knee,
20
He's a bonie, bonie laddie an yon be he. â
This work is signed âZ' in the S.M.M. It is based on a traditional song re-written by Burns with much of the old story intact. There is, for once, a quite unintended irony in this song. Burns deliberately loads all his poetry with the often harsh detail of the life of the common people. Here an outdoor, probably prickly, nocturnal sexual encounter and the girl's subsequent honest survival instinct were
nominally
assimilated into nineteenth-century culture to provide the nomenclature of the mendaciously sentimental âKailyard' school.
Beneath the Bony Briar Bush
is, in fact, the title of one of its most popular novels.
Tune: Laggan Burn
First printed in Johnson, 1796.
HERE'S to thy health, my bonie lass,
      Guid night and joy be wi' thee:
good
I'll come nae mair to thy bower-door,
no more
      To tell thee that I lo'e thee.
love
5
O dinna think, my pretty pink,
do not
      But I can live without thee:
I vow and swear I dinna care,
do not
      How lang ye look about ye.
long
Thou'rt ay sae free informing me
always so
10
      Thou hast nae mind to marry:
no
I'll be as free informing thee,
      Nae time hae I to tarry.
no, have
I ken thy freens try ilka means
know, friends, every
      Frae wedlock to delay thee;
from
15
Depending on some higher chance,
      But fortune may betray thee.
I ken they scorn my low estate,
      But that does never grieve me;
For I'm as free as any he,
20
      Sma' siller will relieve me.
little money
I'll count my health my greatest wealth,
      Sae lang as I'll enjoy it:
so/as long
I'll fear nae scant, I'll bode nae want,
no poverty, no lack
      As lang's I get employment.
long as
25
But far-off fowls hae feathers fair,
have
      And, ay until ye try them:
Tho' they seem fair, still have a care,
      They may prove as bad as I am.
But at twal at night, when the moon shines bright,
twelve
30
      My dear, I'll come and see thee;
For the man that loves his mistress weel,
well
      Nae travel makes him weary.
no
Although introduced in the S.M.M. as âWritten for this work by Robert Burns' the poet notes on a manuscript copy that it was originally composed by an âilliterate Millwright' from Ayrshire, some thirty years prior. If this is true, most editors have assumed Burns revised the original. It does have traces of traditional folk song lyrics, but most of it is in the Burns manner. Indeed, it reads like an early song by Burns from his Mossgiel farm days. The pacey double rhyme in the third and fifth line of each stanza is characteristic. There is an obvious skill employed here which no âilliterate millwright' would possess. Henley and Henderson suspected this was an early song by Burns and we concur.
First printed in Johnson, 1796.
IT was a' for our rightfu' king
all
      We left fair Scotland's strand;
It was a' for our rightfu' king,
      We e'er saw Irish land, my dear,
5
     We e'er saw Irish land. â
Now a' is done that men can do,
     And a' is done in vain:
My Love and Native Land fareweel,
farewell
      For I maun cross the main, my dear,
must
10
     For I maun cross the main. âÂ
He turn'd him right and round about,
     Upon the Irish shore,
And gae his bridle reins a shake,
gave
     With, Adieu for evermore, my dear,
15
     And adieu for evermore. â
The soger frae the wars returns,
soldier from
     The sailor frae the main,
from
But I hae parted frae my Love,
have, from
     Never to meet again, my dear,
20
     Never to meet again. â
When day is gane, and night is come,
gone
     And a' folk bound to sleep;
I think on him that's far awa,
     The lee-lang night and weep, my dear,
entire
25
     The lee-lang night and weep. â
This was unsigned in the S.M.M. but Burns never signed any of his Jacobite songs. Kinsley trails it back to a chapbook ballad,
Mally
Stewart
(c. 1746), the end of which provided Burns's central stanza:
The trooper turn'd himself about all on the Irish shore,
He has given the bridle-reins a shake, saying
   âAdieu for ever more,
      My dear
   Adieu for ever more.'
First printed in Johnson, 1796.
OH, I am come to the low Countrie,
      Ochon, Ochon, Ochrie!
alas, alack
Without a penny in my purse
      To buy a meal to me. â
5
It was na sae in the Highland hills,
not so
      Ochon, Ochon, Ochrie!
Nae woman in the Country wide
no
      Sae happy was as me. â
so
For then I had a score o' kye,
cattle
      Ochon, &c.
Feeding on yon hill sae high,
so
10
      And giving milk to me. â
And there I had three score o' yowes,
ewes/sheep
      Ochon, &c.
Skipping on yon bonie knowes,
hill slopes
      And casting woo' to me. â
wool
I was the happiest of a' the Clan,
15
      Sair, sair may I repine;
sore
For Donald was the brawest man,
finest
      And Donald he was mine. âÂ
Till Charlie Stewart cam at last,
      Sae far to set us free;
so
20
My Donald's arm was wanted then
      For Scotland and for me. âÂ
Their waefu' fate what need I tell, woeful
      Right to the wrang did yield; wrong
My Donald and his Country fell
25
      Upon Culloden field. â
Ochon, O Donald, Oh!
alas
      Ochon, &c.
Nae woman in the warld wide
no, world
      Sae wretched now as me. â
so
This Jacobite song written in the feminine voice was unsigned in the S.M.M. Jacobitism was still virtually taboo during the 1790s, particularly for Excise employees, who were, well after 1745, expected to report officially on the families of Jacobite sympathisers.
First printed in Johnson, 1803.
O STEER her up an' haud her gaun,
stir, hold, going
     Her mither's at the mill, jo;
mother's, dear
An' gin she winna tak a man
if, will not
     E'en let her tak her will, jo.
5
First shore her wi' a kindly kiss
offer
     And ca' anither gill, jo;
ask for another drink
An' gin she tak the thing amiss
if
     E'en let her flyte her fill, jo.
scold
O steer her up an' be na blate,
stir, not shy
10
     An' gin she tak it ill, jo,
if
Then lea'e the lassie till her fate,
leave
     And time nae langer spill, jo;
no longer
Ne'er break your heart for ae rebute,
one
     But think upon it still, jo,
15
That gin the lassie winna do't,
if, will not
     Ye'll fin' anither will, jo.
find another
Four lines at the beginning of this work are taken from a song in Ramsay's
Tea-Table Miscellany
. The remainder is from Burns.
First printed in Johnson, 1803.
WEE Willie Gray, an' his leather wallet;
Peel a willie wand, to be him boots and jacket.
willow
The rose upon the breer will be him trouse and doublet.
brier, trousers
The rose upon the breer will be him trouse and doublet.
Wee Willie Gray, and his leather wallet;
Twice a lily-flower will be him sark and cravat;
shirt, necktie
Feathers of a flee wad feather up his bonnet,
flea would
Feathers of a flee wad feather up his bonnet.
This is included in S.M.M. as âWritten for this work by Robert Burns'. It is a rare example of Burns composing a nursery rhyme lyric to what was then a well-known nursery tune. There is no extant manuscript.
First printed in Johnson, 1803.
GUDEEN to you kimmer
good evening, wench
     And how do ye do?
Hiccup, quo' kimmer,
the wench
     The better that I'm fou.
drunk
Chorus
5
We're a' noddin, nid nid noddin,
     We're a' noddin at our house at hame,
home
We're a' noddin, nid nid noddin,
     We're a' noddin at our house at hame.
home
Kate sits i' the neuk,
corner
10
     Suppin hen-broo;
-brew
Deil tak Kate
devil
     An she be na noddin too!
          We're a' noddin &c.
How's a' wi' you, kimmer,
everything, wench
     And how do you fare?
15
A pint o' the best o't,
     And twa pints mair.
more
          We're a' noddin &c.
How's a' wi' you, kimmer,
     And how do ye thrive;
How monie bairns hae ye?
many children have
20
     Quo' kimmer, I hae five.
have
          We're a' noddin &c.
Are they a' Johny's?
     Eh! atweel na:
certainly not
Twa o' them were gotten
two
     When Johnie was awa.
away
          We're a' noddin &c.
25
Cats like milk,
     And dogs like broo;
water
Lads like lasses weel,
well
     And lasses lads too.
          We're a' noddin &c.
The S.M.M. states âCorrected by Burns', which means it is based on a traditional song, but improved by Burns. It is adapted from a song in the Herd collection (1769). There is also a slight influence from the original version of
John Anderson My Jo
.