Volume II, song 197, page 205 - 'Nancy's Ghost' - Scanned...
Volume II, song 197, page 205 - 'Nancy's Ghost' - Scanned from the 1853 edition of the 'Scots Musical Museum', James Johnson and Robert Burns (Edinburgh and London: W. Blackwood & Sons, 1853)
Verse 1 (to the tune of 'Bonie Kate of Edinburgh'): 'Where waving pines salute the skies, And silver streams meand'ring slow, Where verdant mountains gently rise, Thus Sandy sung his tale of woe. Ah Ketty, cruel perjur'd maid, why hast thou stole my heart away; Why thus forsaken am I laid, To spend in tears and sighs the day!'
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 comments in his personal notes on the song that Dr Blacklock wrote this piece. Dr Thomas Blacklock (1721-91) eventually became a father figure to many young writers in Edinburgh. Blinded at an early age, he educated himself and eventually joined the church. His parishioners, however, felt he was unable to do his job satisfactorily and so he retired to Edinburgh, where he supplemented his annuity with tutoring and writing. It was as a critic and friend that he supported Burns during his professional career.
Volume II, song 197, page 205 - 'Nancy's Ghost' - Scanned from the 1853 edition of the 'Scots Musical Museum', James Johnson and Robert Burns (Edinburgh and London: W. Blackwood & Sons, 1853)