Volume VI, song 504, page 520 - 'O steer her up and had her gaun' - Scanned from the 1853 edition of the 'Scots Musical Museum', James Johnson and Robert Burns (Edinburgh and London: W. Blackwood & Sons, 1853)

Verse 1: 'O steer her up and had her gaun, her mither's at the mill, jo; An' gin she winna tak a man E'en let her tak her will, jo. First shore her wi' a kindly kiss an ca' anither gill, jo; An' gin she tak the thing amiss E'en let her flyte her fill, jo.' 'Steer' is 'to stir' and 'gaun' is 'going'. 'Jo' is used as a term of endearment, such as sweetheart, and 'flyte' is 'to scold'. 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. Johnson has included a note informing the reader that this song was written by Robert Burns. Whilst 'O Steer her up and had her gaun' is indeed considered to be a Burns composition, in other instances Johnson's attributions have proved to be inaccurate. According to John Glen, who wrote extensively on the 'Museum' in 'Early Scottish Melodies' (1900), 'This song has been wedded to an excellent and very ancient Scots measure, which dates from the seventeenth century.' Glen also noted that the version of this melody, entitled 'Steer her up and hold her ganging', which appeared in Henry Playford's 'Original Scotch Tunes' (1700), was 'a very much better version of the melody than that given by Johnson'.

Collection

Scots Musical Museum

Inventory Number

4503698

Title

Volume VI, song 504, page 520 - 'O steer her up and had her gaun' - 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