Volume V, song 438, page 450 - 'The Souters o' Selkirk' -...
Volume V, song 438, page 450 - 'The Souters o' Selkirk' - Scanned from the 1853 edition of the 'Scots Musical Museum', James Johnson and Robert Burns (Edinburgh and London: W. Blackwood & Sons, 1853)
Verse 1: 'Its up wi' the Souters o' Selkirk, And down wi' the Earl of Hume, And here is to a' the braw laddies That wear the single soal'd shoon: Its up wi' the souters o' Selkirk, For they are baith trusty and leal; And up wi' the lads o' the Forest, And down wi' the merse to the deil.' 'Souters' are 'cobblers' while 'single soal'd shoon' are 'single-soled shoes'. 'Leal' is the dialect pronunciation for 'loyal'.
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.
The melody to this song was first published by an English firm. It appeared in 1687, in John Playford's 'Apollo's Banquet', entitled 'A Scotch Hornpipe'. This has lead many commentators to believe that it was written by a Scots musician in his native tradition, whilst living in London. Although the words to the song remain unattributed, it was eventually known as the town's war song. The cobblers of Selkirk have become famous as a town tradition and the local football and cricket teams are now known as the 'souters'.
Volume V, song 438, page 450 - 'The Souters o' Selkirk' - Scanned from the 1853 edition of the 'Scots Musical Museum', James Johnson and Robert Burns (Edinburgh and London: W. Blackwood & Sons, 1853)