Volume II, song 135, page 142 - 'Gae to the ky wi' me Johnny' - Scanned from the 1853 edition of the 'Scots Musical Museum', James Johnson and Robert Burns (Edinburgh and London: W. Blackwood & Sons, 1853)

Verse 1: 'O Gae to the ky wi' me, Johnny, Gae to the ky wi' me, O Gae to the ky wi' me, Johnny, And I'll be merry wi' thee. And Was she na wordy of kisses, And was she na wordy of three, And was she na wordy of kisses, That gaed to the ky wi' me? O Gae to the ky wi' me, Johnny, Gae to the ky wi' me; O Gae to the ky wi' me, Johnny, And I'll be merry wi' thee.' 'Ky' is Scots for cows or kine. 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 Glen, in 'Early Scottish Melodies' (1900), this particular melody is most probably a Border tune. Whilst it is unclear whether the song itself is ancient, the earliest known printed version of the tune was in Daniel Dow's 'Collection of Ancient Scots Music' (c. 1775).

Collection

Scots Musical Museum

Inventory Number

4503331

Title

Volume II, song 135, page 142 - 'Gae to the ky wi' me Johnny' - 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