Blink o'er the Burn Bessie
BLINK O'ER THE BURN, BESSIE (AND I'LL FOLLOW THEE). AKA - "Blink o're the Burn Sweet Betty." Scottish, English; Air (3/4 time). England, Northumberland. D Major. Standard tuning (fiddle). AABBCCDD. The title appears in Henry Robson's list of popular Northumbrian song and dance tunes, compiled and printed c. 1800. Composer Franz Joseph Haydn (1750-1819) fashioned a setting of the air. Robert Burns adapted the song for Johnson's Scots Musical Museum, from an older song by Joseph Mitchell (d. 1738), who was a "literary adventurer" patronized by Sir Robert Walpole. Mitchell's original begins:
Leave kindred and friends sweet Betty,
Leave kindred and friends for me;
Assur'd thy servant is steady,
To love, to honour, to thee.
Printed source: McGibbon (Scots Tunes, Book 1), c. 1762; p. 15.
X:33 T:Blink o'er the burn, my sweet laddie. CJF.033 T:No.1. CJF.033 R:Air C:J Smith S:C.J.Fox MS, 1829/33, Beverley,E.Yorks. N:The extra note at the start of section 3 is as in MS. - PJH. B:Kidson Coll.Mitchell Lib.M1805 O:England A:East Yorkshire Z:vmp.P J Headford 2000 & 2008 M:6/8 L:1/8 Q:3/8=60 K:G "p"d|"$"\ d>ed dbg|e2cc2e|d>ed dbg|fg^ga2d|! d>ed dbg|ecB cde|dgb {b}aga|gdbHg2||! " ff"b|bag gfe|f2bb2b|bag c'af|^de^e fga|! bag gfe|=f2a c'af|gab ag^f|efg ">"fe" D.C."d||! K:C g|" dol."c'ba gfe|a2f dec|Bc^c def|ef^f gab|! c'ba gfe|dag fed|cBA GAB|(d3"$"c2)|]
X:1 T:Bink o're the Burn Sweet Betty M:3/4 L:1/8 R:Air N:"Slow" S:McGibbon - Scots Tunes, Book 1 (c. 1762) Z:AK/Fiddler's Companion K:D a2 | !trill!{g}f3e (f/g/a) | A3 f!trill!e>d | B4 (f/g/a) | !trill!{g}f3e (f/g/a) | A3 fe>f|d4 (f/g/a) | !trill!{g}f3e (f/g/a) | A3 f!trill!e>d | B4 fg | a2 (ba)!trill!(gf) | g2 (ag) !trill!(fe) | d4 :: AG | F2A2 B>d | A3 f!trill!e>d | B3 dA>G | F2A2 B>d | A3 fe>f | d3 BA>G | F2A2 B>d | A3 f!trill!e>d | B4 (fg) | a2 ba!trill!gf | !trill!(gf/g/) ag!trill!fe | d4 :: a2 | f>gfe (f/g/a) | A2 (d/e/f) !trill!e>d | B4 (f/g/a) | !trill!{g}f3e (f/g/a) | Af/g/ ag!trill!(fe) | d4 (f/g/a) | !trill!{g}f3 e (f/g/a) | A2 (g/4f/2<e) (f/4e/2<d) | B4 f>g | !trill!(ag/a/) (b/a/)!trill!(gf) | (g/e/f/g/) ag!trill!fe | d4 :: A>G | (FA) d2 B>d | A2 (e/f/g/f/) !trill!e>d | B3 dA>G | (F/4E/2<D) (A/4/G/2F) (d/4c/2<B) | A2 (a>g)!trill!(f>e) | d3 BA>G | (F/4E/2<D) (A/4G/2<F) (d/4c/2<B) | A2 (e/f/g/f/) !trill!e>d | B4 (A/B/4c/4d/4e/4f/4g/4) |ag/a/ ba!trill!(gf) | (g/4f/2<e) !trill!e3d | d4 :||