Volume V, song 448, page 460 - 'The bonie lass made the bed to me' - Scanned from the 1853 edition of the 'Scots Musical Museum', James Johnson and Robert Burns (Edinburgh and London: W. Blackwood & Sons, 1853)

Verse 1: 'When Januar wind was blawing cauld, As to the north I took my way, The mirksome night did me enfauld, I knew na' whare to lodge till day.' 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 information given at the top of the page reveals that Burns was the author of this piece. Although this information is not always accurate, the song is now widely acknowledged as his work. The saucy and racy nature of the content would certainly fit Burns's experience as a traveller and womanizer, as would the risquǸ style of the piece. The melody may also have been composed by him as there is no previous occurrence of the piece.

Collection

Scots Musical Museum

Inventory Number

4503642

Title

Volume V, song 448, page 460 - 'The bonie lass made the bed to me' - Scanned from the 1853 edition of the 'Scots Musical Museum', James Johnson and Robert Burns (Edinburgh and London: W. Blackwood & Sons, 1853)

Object Type

PhysicalObject

Measurements

- 129 x 211 mm