Volume II, song 103, page 106 - 'To the Weaver's gin ye go' - Scanned from the 1853 edition of the 'Scots Musical Museum', James Johnson and Robert Burns (Edinburgh and London: W. Blackwood & Sons, 1853)

Verse 1: 'My heart was ance as blythe and free As summer days were lang, But a bonie, westlin weaver lad, Has gart me change my sang.' Chorus: 'To the weaver's gin ye go, fair maids, To the weaver's gin ye go, I rede you right, gang ne'er at night, To the weaver's gin ye go.' 'Westlin' means from the west in Scots. 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. Burns recorded in his personal notes that he rewrote most of this song and only the chorus was ancient. It is also at this point that he 'apologizes for many silly compositions of mine. .. (but) many beautiful airs wanted words; in the hurry of other avocations, if I could string a parcel of rhymes together any thing near tolerable, I was fain to let them pass. The melody to these lyrics, although normally found by the same name is occasionally called, 'The Weaver's March'.'

Collection

Scots Musical Museum

Inventory Number

4503300

Title

Volume II, song 103, page 106 - 'To the Weaver's gin ye go' - 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