Volume III, song 230, pages 238 and 239 - 'Magie's Tocher' - Scanned from the 1853 edition of the 'Scots Musical Museum', James Johnson and Robert Burns (Edinburgh and London: W. Blackwood & Sons, 1853)

Verse 1: 'The meal was dear short syne, The maut and a' the gither, And Maggie was just in her prime, When Willie made courtship till her. Twa pistols charg'd beguess, To gie the courting shot, And syne came ben the lass, Wi' swats drawn frae the butt, He first speer'd at the guidman, And syne at Giles the mither, An ye wad gi's a bit land, We'd buckle us e'en the gither.' 'Tocher' is the old word for a girl's dower and this rather cynical verse recreates the necogations surrounding Maggie's betrothal. 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. This melody and the accompanying words were found in Ramsay's 'Tea-Table Miscellany' (1724-7), along with the letter 'Z' denoting its ancient origin. It was then rapidly reprinted in other popular publications over the next five years. It was a tune which was mainly printed in collections of dance tunes. The melody also goes by the name of 'A trip to Marrowbone'. There is very little further information available on the words.

Collection

Scots Musical Museum

Inventory Number

4503427

Title

Volume III, song 230, pages 238 and 239 - 'Magie's Tocher' - 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

- 263 x 211 mm