Volume VI, song 597, page 617 - 'O Mally's meek, Mally's sweet' - Scanned from the 1853 edition of the 'Scots Musical Museum', James Johnson and Robert Burns (Edinburgh and London: W. Blackwood & Sons, 1853)

Chorus: 'O Mally's meek, Mally's sweet; Mally's modest and discreet Mally's rare Mally's fair, Mally's ev'ry way compleat.' Verse 1: 'As I was walking up the street, A barefit maid I chanc'd to meet, But O the road was very hard, For that fair maiden's tender 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. The lyrics to this song were written by Burns in 1788. The tune which Stenhouse, the later editor of the 'Museum' alleges was given by Burns to Johnson, is thought to resemble the tune 'Andro and his cutty gun'. It was published previous to this in Aird's 'Reels' (1787), but under the title of 'Devil fly o'er the water wi' her'.

Collection

Scots Musical Museum

Inventory Number

4503792

Title

Volume VI, song 597, page 617 - 'O Mally's meek, Mally's sweet' - 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