Annotation:Ye gods ye gave to me a wife

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X:1 T:Ye Gods ye gave to me a Wife M:C| L:1/8 B:David Young – “A Collection of Scotch Airs with the latest Variations” (AKA - The B:McFarlane Manuscript (c. 1741, No. 38, p. 75) F: https://rmacd.com/music/macfarlane-manuscript/collection/pdfs/ye_gods_ye_gave_to_me_a_wife.pdf N:The Society of Antiquaries of Scotland K:Gmin d|gddc BA/B/ GA|BG/A/ Bc d d2::B/c/|dB/c/ de fF2 G/A/|BG/A/ Bc dD2d| B(A/G/) AT^F G3:||:g|gddc BA/B/ GA|BG/A/ Bc d d2::B/c/|(d/c/B/c/) (d/c/d/e/) fF F(G/A/)| (B/A/G/A/) (B/A/B/c/) dD zd|gd z/d/e/d/ gd zd|B(A/G/) A^F G G,2:|]

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YE GODS YE GAVE TO ME A WIFE. English, Air (cut time). G Minor. Standard tuning (fiddle). AABBCCDD. The melody appears in Scottish musician and dancing master David Young's MacFarlane Manuscript (c. 1740), "Written for the use of Walter Mcfarlan of that ilk." The air was heard sung in Charles Coffey's ballad opera The Devil to Pay; of, The Wives Metamorphos'd (1732). The song appears in a number of 18th century songsters such as The Vocal Miscellany (1738), Calliope (1746), John Osborn's Lark (London, 1740). The words (from "Lark") go:

From Calliope

Ye Gods, ye gave to me a Wife,
Out of your wonted Favour,
To be the Comfort of my Life,
And I was glad to have her.

But if your Providence divine,
For greater Bliss design her,
To obey her Will at any time,
I am ready to resign her.