Volume V, song 431, pages 442 and 443 - 'The Cooper o' Cuddy' - Scanned from the 1853 edition of the 'Scots Musical Museum', James Johnson and Robert Burns (Edinburgh and London: W. Blackwood & Sons, 1853)

Verse 1: 'We'll hide the Cooper behind the door, Behind the door, behind the door, We'll hide the Cooper behind the door and cover him under a mawn O, The Cooper o ' cuddy cam here awa', He ca'd the girrs out o'er us a'; And our gudewife has gotten a ca', That anger'd the silly gudeman O.' Chorus: 'We'll hide the Cooper behind the door, Behind the door, behind the door We'll hide the Cooper behind the door, And cover him under a maun O.' A 'mawn' or 'maun' is a basket in Scots. The 'Scots Musical Museum' is the most important of the numerous eighteenth- and nineteenth-century collections of Scottish song. When the engraver James Johnson started work on the second volume of his collection in 1787, he enlisted Robert Burns as contributor and editor. Burns enthusiastically collected songs from various sources, often expanding or revising them, whilst including much of his own work. The resulting combination of innovation and antiquarianism gives the work a feel of living tradition. The melody of this piece goes by the name of 'Bab at the Bowster'. It was first recorded in 1729 in Cobbler's Opera as 'The Country Bumpkin' and was known as such in subsequent publications until the 1780s. The song is of English origin, which is unusual for the 'Museum' because Burns had a strict policy of only including Scottish material. This set of lyrics, however, is not original to the melody but rather of Scots origin. This probably meant that it met the criteria, just, for inclusion in the 'Museum'.

Collection

Scots Musical Museum

Inventory Number

4503625

Title

Volume V, song 431, pages 442 and 443 - 'The Cooper o' Cuddy' - Scanned from the 1853 edition of the 'Scots Musical Museum', James Johnson and Robert Burns (Edinburgh and London: W. Blackwood & Sons, 1853)

Object Type

PhysicalObject

Measurements

- 258 x 211 mm