Volume I, song 084, page 85 - 'Sweet Anny frae the sea-Beach came' - Scanned from the 1853 edition of the 'Scots Musical Museum', James Johnson and Robert Burns (Edinburgh and London: W. Blackwood & Sons, 1853)

Verse 1: 'Sweet Anny frae the sea beach came, where Jocky speel'd the Vessel's side; Ah! wha can keep their heart at hame, when Jocky's tost aboon the tide. Far aff to distant realms he gangs; yet I'll prove true, as he has been, And when ilk lass about him thrangs, he'll think on Anny, his faithfu' ain.' 'Speel'd' in this context means to climb something vertical, with the implication of using ones hands and feet. 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. It is thought that this song in its entirety was written by the Englishman Dr Greene, during the 1730s, and as a result is really only an imitation of the Scottish style - it is, however, a very good copy. Songs of English origin, however, were only included in Volume I of the 'Museum'. After this time, Burns became strict about including only songs of Scottish origin.

Collection

Scots Musical Museum

Inventory Number

4503279

Title

Volume I, song 084, page 85 - 'Sweet Anny frae the sea-Beach came' - 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

- 130 x 211 mm