Annotation:To the Weaver gin ye go
X:1 T:To the Weaver Gin Ye Go M:2/4 L:1/16 S:Aird - Selection of Scotch, English, Irish and Foreign Airs vol. II (1785) Z:AK/Fiddler’s Companion K:G (ge) | (d2B2 B2)(AG) | B2(A2 A2)(ge) | d2B2 B3A | B6 (ge) | d2(B2 B2)(AG) | B2(A2 A3)B | dB3 B3A | B6 :| |: A2 | d3e(f2g2) | a3ba2A2 | d2e2f2g2 | a6 (ba) | g2e2 f2(ed) | e3fg2a2 | b2B2 BcBA | B6 :|
TO THE WEAVER GIN YE GO. AKA - "Tae the weavers gin ye gang," "To the weaver's gin ye go," "Weaver's March (2) (The)." Scottish, Air and Country Dance Tune (2/4 time). G Major. Standard tuning (fiddle). ABB. The words to the comic song, adapted from an older one and contributed by Robert Burns for James Johnson's Scots Musical Museum, vol. 2 (1788), begin:
My heart was ance as blythe and free
As simmer days are lang;
But a bonnie westlin weaver lad
Has gart me change my song.
Cho.:
To the weavers gin ye go, fair maids,
To the weavers gin ye go;
I rede you right, gang ne'er at night,
To the weavers gin ye go.
My mither sent me to the town
To warp a plaiden wab;
But the weary, weary warpin o't
Has gart me sigh and sab.
It has been suggested that the poet wrote the humorous verses in reference to his love interest, Jean Armour, in 1786, after she been sent away to Paisley to keep her out of his way[1]. Burns wrote in his Reliques (quoted by Stenhouse) that he retained the chorus of the older song but rewrote the verses, then, alluding to this song, explained:
Here let me once for all apologize for many silly compositions of mine in this work. Many of the beautiful airs wanted words. In the hurry of other avocations, if I could string a parcel of rhymes together any thing near tolerable, I was fain to let them pass. He must be an excellent poet whose every performance is excellent.
Stenhouse, who had access to the original manuscripts and wrote notes for a new (mid-19th century) edition of Johnson's work, himself opined: "The old song will not do in this work," declining to print it.
John Glen (Early Scottish Melodies) records that the tune is called "The Weaver's March" but that title also belongs to other, musically unrelated tunes, including the "Weaver's March" that was the vehicle for "Gallant Weaver (The)," a song also in Johnson's Scots Musical Museum (1792)[2]. "To the weaver gin ye go" also appears in the large music manuscript collection of musician John Rook (Waverton, near Wigton, Cumbria, 1840-1841).
