Volume II, song 149, page 156 - 'Duncan Davison' - Scanned...
Volume II, song 149, page 156 - 'Duncan Davison' - Scanned from the 1853 edition of the 'Scots Musical Museum', James Johnson and Robert Burns (Edinburgh and London: W. Blackwood & Sons, 1853)
Verse 1: 'There was a lass, they ca'd her Meg, And she held o'er the moors to spin; There was a lad that follow'd her, They ca'd him Duncan Davison. The moor was driegh, and Meg was skiegh, her favour Duncan could na win; For wi' the rock she wad him knock, And ay she shook the temper-pin.' Temper-pin is Scots for a wooden screw used for tightening part of a spinning wheel. 'Driegh' is possibly 'dreigh' meaning dreary and 'skiegh' is more likely 'skeigh', which has a variety of meanings including timid, coy, spirited, disdainful, proud or aloof.
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 not cited in the 'Museum', it is possible this song was written by Robert Burns. According to Glen (1900), the tune is 'an old dance or strathspey, formerly known as 'Ye'll ay be welcome back again'. It is contained under that title in Robert Bremner's 'Collection of Scots Reels or Country Dances', 1759.' It was also included in an earlier publication, by John Walsh, entitled 'Caledonian Country Dances'. Interestingly, Glen points out that the tune 'Strick upon a Strogin', which featured in the Leyden Manuscript (1692), appears to be the original tune upon which 'Duncan Davison' was based.
Volume II, song 149, page 156 - 'Duncan Davison' - Scanned from the 1853 edition of the 'Scots Musical Museum', James Johnson and Robert Burns (Edinburgh and London: W. Blackwood & Sons, 1853)