He was a bra' gallant, As e'er played at the glove, Oh! lang will his ladie Look o'er the Castle Down, A SOUTHLAND JENNY. THIS is a popular Ayrshire song, though the notes were never taken down before.-It, as well as many of the ballad tunes in this collection, was written from Mrs. Burns's voice. A Southland Jenny that was right bonny, That he could scarcely speak unto her. But blinks o' her beauty, and hopes o' her siller, My dear, quo' he, we'll nae langer tarry, Gin ye can lo'e let's o'er the moor and marry. me, Come awa then, my Norland laddie, Tho' we gang neat, some are mair gaudy; Ye lasses o' the South, ye're a' for dressin; I maun hae a wife that will rise i' the mornin, My father's only dochter, wi' farms and siller ready, 1 MY TOCHER'S THE JEWEL. THIS tune is claimed by Nathaniel Gow.-It is notoriously taken from The Muckin o' Geordie's Byre.—It is also to be found, long prior to Nathaniel Gow's ara, in Aird's Selection of Airs and Marches, the first edition, under the name of The Highway to Edinburgh.* O meikle thinks my luve o' my beauty, It's a' for the apple he'll nourish the tree, It's a' for the hinney he'll cherish the bee; My laddie's sae meikle in love wi' the siller, He canna hae luve to spare for me. * This statement is incorrect. On referring to Niel Gow and Son's 2d book, page 18, it will be seen that it is unclaimed by Nathaniel Gow, or any of his family. Mr. Gow found the tune in "Oswald's Caledonian Pocket Companion," book 3d, page 28, as a quick jig; it struck him that it would be pretty if slow; and being without a name, he called it Lord Elcho's Favourite. Oswald's book was published as long prior to Aird's æra, as Aird's was to that of Gow.-Ed. Your proffer o' luve's an airle-penny, Sae ye wi' anither your fortune maun try. Ye're like to the timmer o' yon rotten wood, And ye'll crack your credit wi' mae nor me.* The four last lines of this song are old. I have seen them in an unpublished MS. Collection by David Herd, the Editor of "Ancient and Modern Scottish Songs, Heroic Ballads," &c. 2 vols. 1776.-the two lines, "It's a' for the apple he'll nourish the tree, are also much older than Burns's words.-Ed. THEN GUDE WIFE COUNT THE LAWIN. THE chorus of this is part of an old song, one stanza of which I recollect. Every day my wife tells me That ale and brandy will ruin me; THERE'LL NEVER BE PEACE TILL JAMIE THIS tune is sometimes called, There's few gude Fellows when Willie's awa.-But I never have been able to meet with any thing else of the song than the title. By yon castle wa', at the close of the day, VOL. II. M |