Volume IV, song 381, page 395 - 'Jocky fou, and Jenny fain'...
Volume IV, song 381, page 395 - 'Jocky fou, and Jenny fain' - Scanned from the 1853 edition of the 'Scots Musical Museum', James Johnson and Robert Burns (Edinburgh and London: W. Blackwood & Sons, 1853)
Verse 1: 'Jocky fou, and Jenny fain, Jenny was nae ill to gain, She was couthy, he was kind, Thus the wooer tell'd his mind: Jenny I'll nae mair be nice Gi'e me love at ony price, I'll ne'er prig for red or white, Love alane can gi'e delight.' 'Fou' can mean full, well-fed or intoxicated and 'fain' anxious or in love.
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.
Although it is unclear exactly what Burns's association with this song was, it is possible he revised or collected it for inclusion in the 'Museum'. For many of the songs, Burns left a handwritten note in an interleaved copy of the 'Museum' belonging to his friend Robert Riddell. Sadly, in this instance, no such note exists. According to John Glen, in 'Early Scottish Melodies' (1900), the accompanying melody, prior to its appearance in the 'Museum', was included in Adam Craig's 'Collection of the Choicest of the Scots Tunes'.
Volume IV, song 381, page 395 - 'Jocky fou, and Jenny fain' - Scanned from the 1853 edition of the 'Scots Musical Museum', James Johnson and Robert Burns (Edinburgh and London: W. Blackwood & Sons, 1853)