Annotation:Jolly Beggar (3) (The)

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JOLLY BEGGAR [3], THE. AKA and see "Beggar's Meal Pock's." Scottish, Air and Strathspey. G Major (Kerr): F Major (Manson). Standard tuning (fiddle). One part (Manson): AA'BB' (Kerr). The song "Jolly Beggar" (Child #279) has traditionally been attributed to King James V of Scotland, although this has never been substantiated. John Glen (Early Scottish Melodies, 1900) thought the claim was rubbish as it had the ring of a 'modern' composition, and he dated it only to about 1750. The words were printed by David Herd in his Ancient and Modern Scottish Songs, vol. II (1776, pp. 26-28). begin:

There was a jolly beggar, and a begging he was bound,
And he took up his quarters into a land'art town,
And we'll gang nae mair a roving sae late into the night,
And we'll gang nae mair a roving, boys, let the moon shine ne'er sae bright,
And we'll gang nae mair a roving.

James Oswald printed a version of the tune in his Caledonian Pocket Companion, Book 10 (1760, p. 16) under the title "Beggar's Meal Pock's."

Source for notated version:

Printed sources: Johnson (The Scots Musical Museum, vol. 3), 1790; No. 266, pp. 274-275. Kerr (Merry Melodies, vol. 4), c. 1880's; No. 107, p. 14. Manson (Hamilton's Universal Tune Book vol. 2), 1846; p. 3.

Recorded sources: