(See an excellent set of this tune in the Scots Musical
Museum, vol. 2.d page 109)
O whistle & I'll come to ye, my lad,
O whistle & I'll come to ye, my lad,
Tho' father & mither & a' should gae mad,
Whistle & I'll come to ye, my lad. -
But warily tent, when ye come to court me,
And come na unless the back-yelt be ajee;
Syne o'er the back-style & let nae body see,
And come as ye were na comin to me-
O come as ye were na comin to me. -
O whistle & I'll & c.-
O whistle &c. -
Tho' father &c.-
Whistle &&c. - { as in the first stanza
At kirk, or at market, whare'er ye meet me,
Gae by me as tho' that ye car'd nae a flie;
But steal me a blink o' your bonie black e'e,
Yet look as ye were na lookin at me -
O look as ye were na lookin at me. -
O Whistle
O whistle &c. -
Tho' father &c.-
Whistle &&c. -
Ay vow & protest that ye care na for me,
And whyles ye may lightly my beauty a-wee;
But court nae anither, tho jokin ye be,
For fear that she wyle your fancy frae me -
For fear that she wyle your fancy frae me!
Key details
- Archive number
- NTS/02/25/BRN/02/140
- Alt. number
- 3.6306
- Date
- August 1793
- On display
- No
- Creator
- Burns, Robert (Author)
- Recipient
- Thomson, George
- Archive number
- NTS/02/25/BRN/02/140
- Alt. number
- 3.6306
- Date
- August 1793
- On display
- No
- Creator
- Burns, Robert (Author)
- Recipient
- Thomson, George
Description
Whistle & I'll come to you my lad.
Begins: "O whistle, and I'll come to ye, my lad" 3 four-line verses and chorus.
In this first page of the song Robert Burns shows the 'Come -hither' attitude of the girl to her sweetheart. However he is to approach her covertly, not approaching her directly or too publicly.
In this page the young lady advises her sweetheart to protest her interest in her though he might concede her good looks. However he must not pay attention to another woman in case he is enticed away.
Burns derived this song from an old fragment (in the Herd collection) as he often did, and offered it to George Thomson attached to his letter of August 1793 (letter no 578) for inclusion in his collection of Scottish Airs.
Archive information
Themes
Hierarchy
-
Robert Burns, collection of poems and songs
(
a sub-fonds is a subdivision in the archival material)
- Whistle & I'll come to you my lad
Caring for collections
A gift of £5 a month can help us ensure collections like the Robert Burns Collection receive ongoing care and are shared with as many people as possible.