Volume V, song 442, page 454 - 'There's three gude fellows ayont yon glen' - Scanned from the 1853 edition of the 'Scots Musical Museum', James Johnson and Robert Burns (Edinburgh and London: W. Blackwood & Sons, 1853)

Verse 1: 'There's three true gude fellows, There's three gude fellows, There's three true gude fellows down ayont yon glen. Its now the day is dawin', But or night to fain, Whase cock's best at crawin', Willie thou sall ken.' Chorus: 'There's three true gude fellows, There's three gude fellows, There's three true gude fellows down ayont yon glen.' 'Ayont' is Scots dialect for beyond and 'yon' means that. 'Whase' means whose and the Scots word for know is 'ken'. 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 to this piece is known as 'There's three gude fellows ayont yon glen' and was first published in William McGibbon's (c.1690-1756) 'First Collection of Scots Tunes' (1742). The lyrics and title of the song, however, often go by the alternative title of 'There's three true guid fellows'. The repetition of certain lines is a feature of the oral tradition. They not only make the words easier to remember but they give the listener a structure to follow.

Collection

Scots Musical Museum

Inventory Number

4503636

Title

Volume V, song 442, page 454 - 'There's three gude fellows ayont yon glen' - 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

- 129 x 211 mm