Annotation:Take Me Jenny
X:1 T:Take me Jenny M:2/4 L:1/8 B:Thompson’s Compleat Collection of 200 Favourite Country Dances, vol. 3 (London, 1773) Z:Transcribed and edited by Fynn Titford-Mock, 2007 Z:abc’s:AK/Fiddler’s Companion K:G B2 AG|ABcA|B2 AG|e A2d|B2 cd|efgd|e2 Ad|BG G2:| |:d>edg|e>=feg|d>e {d}dc/B/|B3 A|d>edg|e>=feg|d>e {d}dc/B/|B3 A| d>c B2|e>d c2|g2 d=f|ec c2|B>c d2|e>fga|b(gg)d|eg g2:||
TAKE ME JENNY. AKA - "Take me Jenny let me win you while I’m in the humour." English, Air and Country Dance Tune (2/4 time). G Major. Standard tuning (fiddle). AABB. "Take Me Jenny" is a country dance adaptation of a popular 18th century slip-song, printed on numerous song sheets and in songsters. It can be found, for example in the 1768 song collection entitled New Favourite Songs as sung by Mrs. Arne at Ranelagh House, Master Brown and Mr. Phippps at Marybone Gardens, composed by Dr. Arne[1]. The first stanza and chorus goes:
Sweetest of pretty maids, let Cupid incline thee.
T'accept of a faithful heart which now I resign thee;
Scorning all selfish ends regardless of money,
It yields only to the girl whose gen'rous and bonny.
Take me Jenny let me win you while I'm in the humour,
I implore you, I adore you, what can mortal do more?
Kiss upon't, kiss upon't, turn not so shyly;
There's my hand, there's my hand, 'twill never beguile thee.
The country dance was first published by Charles and Samuel Thompson in their Compleat Collection, vol. 3 (London, 1773), followed by printings in Straight and Skillern’s Two Hundred and Four Favourite Country Dances, vol. 1 (London, 1775), and Skillern’s Compleat Collection of Two Hundred and Four Reels…Country Dances (London, 1780). It is one of the "missing tunes" from William Vickers' 1770 Northumbrian dance tune manuscript, and appears in the music copybook of American fiddlers John and William Pitt Thompson (1788, Norwich, Conn.) and in John Greenwood’s commonplace book (1785).
