Volume I, song 049, page 50 - 'My ain kind Deary-o' - Scanned from the 1853 edition of the 'Scots Musical Museum', James Johnson and Robert Burns (Edinburgh and London: W. Blackwood & Sons, 1853)

Verse 1: 'Will ye gang o'er the leerigg, my ain kind deary-o! And cuddle there sae kindly wi' me, my kind deary-o! At thornie dike, and birken tree, we'll daff, and ne'er be weary-o; They'll scug ill een frae you and me, mine ain kind deary o!' 'Leerigg' or 'Lea-rig' is an unploughed grass field. 'Scug' is to shelter or take refuge. It can also refer to crouching or stooping to avoid being seen. 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. According to Burns the original words for this song were mostly written by Fergusson, 'in one of his merry humours'. The old words begin: 'I'll rowe thee o'er the lea-rig, / My ain kind dearie, O, / I'll rowe o'er the lea-rig, / My ain kind dearie, O'. Burns is referring to the Scots-born poet, Robert Fergusson (1750-74). According to Glen (1900), 'This melody is better known by the title of Robert Fergusson's song 'The Lea Rig'.'

Collection

Scots Musical Museum

Inventory Number

4503244

Title

Volume I, song 049, page 50 - 'My ain kind Deary-o' - 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