Volume VI, song 507, pages 522 and 523 - 'Tho' for seven years' - Scanned from the 1853 edition of the 'Scots Musical Museum', James Johnson and Robert Burns (Edinburgh and London: W. Blackwood & Sons, 1853)

Verse 1: 'Tho' for seven years and mair honour shou'd reave me. To fields where cannons rair thou need na grieve thee; For deep in my spirits thy sweets are indented, And love shall preserve ay what love has imprinted,' Chorus: 'Leave thee leave thee, I'll never leave thee gang the warld as it will dearest believe me.' Subsequent verses are intended to be sung alternately by the characters in the song, Nelly and Johny. Following this pattern, Johny would also sing the first verse. 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 John Glen, in 'Early Scottish Melodies' (1900), 'The old tune of 'Bannoks of Bear meal and Bannoks of Barley' is attached to this song'. He also noted that the song appeared with 'a poor version of the tune' in volume four of Watt's 'The Musical Miscellany' (1730), under the title 'I'll never leave thee'. In his publication, Watt referred to the song as 'a dialogue between Jonny and Nelly'.

Collection

Scots Musical Museum

Inventory Number

4503701

Title

Volume VI, song 507, pages 522 and 523 - 'Tho' for seven years' - 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

- 258 x 211 mm