|
Date: |
|
Description: | Verse 1: 'O whistle, an' I'll come to you, my lad; O whistle, an' I'll come to you, my lad: Though father and mither should baith gae mad, O whistle, an' I'll come to you, my lad. Come down the back stairs when ye come to court me; Come down the back stairs when ye come to court me; Come down the back stairs, and let naebody see; And come as ye were na' coming to me, And come as ye were na' coming to me.'
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.
There is the possibility of this song being of Irish origin. A very similar tune was incorporated into a play performed in 1783, written by the Irishman John O'Keefe. Burns it is recorded, however, believed it to have been written by the Dumfries fiddler, John Bruce. The song sometimes goes by the name of 'Noble Sir Arthur'. | License: | http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0 | Publisher: | National Library of Scotland | Temporal: | 1787-01-01 - 1803-12-31 | Source: | Burns Scotland | Identifier: | Volume II, song 106, page 109 - 'Whistle | Go to resource |
|
|