Comin’ thro the rye (Robert Burns)
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John Anderson, my jo (1789)
John Anderson, my jo, John,
When we were first acquent;
Your
locks were like the raven,
Your bonie brow was brent;
But now your brow is beld, John,
Your
locks are like the snaw;
But blessings on your frosty pow,
John Anderson, my jo.
John
Anderson, my jo, John,
We clamb the hill thegither;
And mony a cantie day, John,
We've
had wi' ane anither:
Now we maun totter down, John,
And hand in hand we'll go,
And sleep
thegither at the foot,
John Anderson, my jo
O, my love’s like a red, red rose (1794)
O, my luve's like a red, red rose,
That's
newly sprung in June:
O, my luve's like the melodie,
That's sweetly play'd in tune.
As
fair art thou, my bonie lass,
So deep in luve am I;
And I will luve thee still, my
dear,
Till a' the seas gang dry.
Till a' the seas gang dry, my dear,
And the rocks melt
wi' the sun;
O I will luve thee still, my dear,
While the sands o' life shall run.
And
fare-
And fare-
And I will come again, my
luve,
Tho' it were ten thousand mile!
Ae fond kiss (1791) (abridged)
Ae fond kiss, and then we sever;
Ae fareweel, and then
forever!
Deep in heart-
Warring sighs and groans I'll
wage thee.
Had we never lov'd sae kindly,
Had we never lov'd sae blindly,
Never met-
We had ne'er been broken-
Fare-
Fare-
Thine be ilka joy and treasure,
Peace, Enjoyment, Love and Pleasure!
Ae fond kiss, and then we sever!
Ae fareweel alas, for ever!
Deep in heart-
Warring sighs and groans I'll wage thee.
Duncan Gray (1792)
Duncan Gray cam' here to woo,
(Ha, ha, the wooing o't,)
On blythe
Yule-
(Ha, ha, the wooing o't,)
Maggie coost her head fu' heigh,
Look'd
asklent and unco skeigh,
Gart poor Duncan stand abeigh;
(Ha, ha, the wooing o't,)
Duncan
fleech'd and Duncan pray'd;
(Ha, ha, the wooing o't,)
Meg was deaf as Ailsa Craig,
(Ha,
ha, the wooing o't,)
Duncan sigh'd baith out and in,
Grat his e'en baith blear't an'
blin',
Spak o' lowpin o'er a linn;
(Ha, ha, the wooing o't,)
Time and Chance are but
a tide,
(Ha, ha, the wooing o't,)
Slighted love is sair to bide,
(Ha, ha, the wooing
o't,)
Shall I like a fool, quoth he,
For a haughty hizzie die?
She may gae to-
(Ha, ha, the wooing o't,)
How it comes let doctors tell,
(Ha, ha, the wooing
o't,)
Meg grew sick, as he grew hale,
(Ha, ha, the wooing o't,)
Something in her bosom
wrings,
For relief a sigh she brings:
And oh! her een they spak sic things!
(Ha, ha,
the wooing o't,)
Duncan was a lad o' grace,
(Ha, ha, the wooing o't,)
Maggie's was a
piteous case,
(Ha, ha, the wooing o't,)
Duncan could na be her death,
Swelling Pity
smoor'd his wrath;
Now they're crouse and canty baith,
(Ha, ha, the wooing o't,)
The deil's awa wi' the Exciseman (1792)
The deil cam fiddlin' thro' the town,
And danc'd awa wi' th' Exciseman,
And ilka wife
cries:-
I wish you luck o' the prize, man.’
The deil's awa, the deil's awa,
The deil's awa wi' the Exciseman,
He's danc'd awa,
he's danc'd awa,
He's danc'd awa wi' the Exciseman.
‘We'll mak our maut, and we'll
brew our drink,
We'll laugh, sing, and rejoice, man,
And mony braw thanks to the meikle
black deil,
That danc'd awa wi' th' Exciseman.’
The deil's awa, etc
‘There's threesome reels, there's foursome reels,
There's hornpipes
and strathspeys, man,
But the ae best dance ere came to the land
Was the deil's awa
wi' the Exciseman.’
The deil's awa, etc
Ay Waukin, O
Ay waukin , O,
Waukin still and weary:
Sleep I can get nane
For thinking
on my dearie.
Simmer's a pleasant time:
Flowers of every colour,
The water rins owre
the heugh,
And I long for my true lover.
When I sleep I dream,
When I wauk I'm eerie,
Sleep
I can get nane
For thinking on my dearie.
Lanely night comes on,
A' the lave are sleepin,
I
think on my bonie lad,
And I bleer my een wi' greetin.
Go to events to listen to ‘Ay waukin’ O’
Go to products to listen to
‘My love is like a red, red rose’
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The banks o’ Doon ( Ye banks and braes )
Ye banks and braes o' bonie Doon,
How can ye bloom sae fresh and fair?
How can ye
chant, ye little birds,
And I sae weary fu' o' care!
Thou'll break my heart, thou
warbling bird,
That wantons thro' the flowering thorn!
Thou minds me o' departed
joys,
Departed never to return.
Aft hae I rov'd by bonie Doon
To see the rose and
woodbine twine,
And ilka bird sang o' its luve,
And fondly sae did I o' mine.
Wi'
lightsome heart I pu'd a rose,
Fu' sweet upon its thorny tree!
And my fause luver
staw my rose -
But ah! he left the thorn wi' me.
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An explanation of the Burns song "DUNCAN GRAY":
Duncan’s looking for a hot date around Christmas. He tries his hand with Maggie. She's for none of it.
Duncan's really trying his best to impress. Maggie?. . . not interested. He's distraught.
Duncan gets fed up trying and tells her where to go.
Maggie changes her mind about Duncan (typical!). Playing hard to get has backfired on her. She's lovesick.
Duncan ... what a guy! He forgives Maggie, pops the question and they settle down to married bliss.
There are many excellent resources on the Internet where you can find information about the poems and songs of Robert Burns.
This page is a tiny selection.
However, click here for a brief translation of the song ‘Duncan Gray’, here for a full translation of ‘The banks o’ Doon’ , here for Ae fond kiss and here for ‘My love is like a red red rose’.