Volume IV, song 399, page 412 - 'The De'il's awa wi' th' Exciseman' - 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 de'il cam fiddlin thro' the town, And danc'd awa wi' th' Exciseman; And ilka wife cries, auld Mahoun, I wish you luck o' the prize man. The de'il's awa the de'il's awa The de'il's awa wi' th' Exciseman, He's danc'd awa he's danc'd awa He's danc'd awa wi' th' Exciseman.' 'Mahoun' is another name for the devil. 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. Written by Robert Burns, this light-hearted song celebrates the absence of the local Exciseman. For a time, to make ends meet, Robert Burns worked for the Dumfries Port Division of the Excise. Despite being involved in the work himself, or possibly as a result of his work with the Excise, Burns was only too aware of the public's antipathy towards Excisemen. Here he records the delight people would feel if indeed one day the Exciseman were spirited away by the Devil, freeing them all from the bind of paying their taxes. Whilst the song belongs to Burns, the melody, according to Glen (1900), is of English origin and was previously known under the title, 'The hempdresser'.

Collection

Scots Musical Museum

Inventory Number

4503594

Title

Volume IV, song 399, page 412 - 'The De'il's awa wi' th' Exciseman' - 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

- 132 x 211 mm