Volume VI, song 545 page 564 - 'A Cogie of ale, and a pickle ait meal' - Scanned from the 1853 edition of the 'Scots Musical Museum', James Johnson and Robert Burns (Edinburgh and London: W. Blackwood & Sons, 1853)

Verse 1: ' A cogie of ale and a pickle ait meal, And a dainty wee drappy of whisky was our fore fathers dose to swiel down their brose and mak' them blythe cheery an' frisky. Then hey for the cogie and hey for the ale and hey for the whiksy and hey for the meal; when mix'd a' the gether they do unco weel, To mak' a chield cheery and briskay.' 'Cogie' is a small cog, 'pickle' is a small grain, 'swiel' means to whirl round, 'brose' means to toil, 'blythe' means glad and 'chield' means a person. 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. John Glen (1900) notes that the lyrics for this song were written by Andrew Shireffs (1762-1807), who also wrote the pastoral comedy, 'Jamie and Bess'. Shireffs was a publisher of journals in Aberdeen, before moving to Edinburgh and then London. Burns met the disabled Shireffs during his northern tour, and was impressed with his writing ability. Glen writes that the melody for the song was composed by Robert Mackintosh. Known as 'Red Rob', Mackintosh was a well-known musician in Edinburgh up until 1802, when he left Scotland to live in London.

Collection

Scots Musical Museum

Inventory Number

4503740

Title

Volume VI, song 545 page 564 - 'A Cogie of ale, and a pickle ait meal' - 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