Volume IV, song 317, page 328 - 'The bonie lad that's far awa'' - 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 how can I be blythe and glad, Or how can I gang brisk and braw, When the bonie lad that I loe best, Is o'er the hills and far awa' When the bonie lad that I loe best, Is o'er the hills and far awa.' 'Gang brisk and braw' would translate as 'going about lively and happy'. 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. This song although not attributed to Burns in the 'Museum' was thought to have been written by him in 1788. The tune is also unknown previous to this publication and so it is thought that Burns picked it up, possibly from his mother or maybe from an evening spent with local farmers. It is curious to note that the 'snood' mentioned in the last verse, refers to a fillet (metal headband) with a net attached to catch and tidy long hair. At this period in Scottish society, it symbolised virginity despite the fact the girl is pregnant and has been shunned by her peers.

Collection

Scots Musical Museum

Inventory Number

4503513

Title

Volume IV, song 317, page 328 - 'The bonie lad that's far awa'' - 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

- 132 x 211 mm