Annotation:Scott Skinner's Rockin' Step

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X:1 T:Scott Skinner' Rockin' Step C:James Scott Skinner B:Harp & Claymore, 1903 (via The Scottish Violinist) Z:Nigel Gatherer M:4/4 L:1/8 K:D e|c>e A/A/e c>eA>e|c>e A/A/e A/A/e a>e|\ c>e A/A/e c/e/e A/e/e|G,/B/B g/B/B d2 d:|] f|e>ac>a A/A/A a2|A/A/A a2 f2 e<a|\ e>ac>a A/A/A g2|G,/B/B g/B/B d2 df| e>ac>a A/A/A a2|A/A/A a2 f2 e/f/g|\ a/f/a g/e/g f/d/f e/c/e|G,/B/B g/B/B d2 d||

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SCOTT SKINNER'S ROCKIN' STEP. AKA – “Manson's Highland Fling.” Scottish, Strathspey. (whole time) A Mixolydian. Standard tuning (fiddle). AAB. Composed by J. Scott Skinner, appearing first in Scottish Violinist (1900) collection, along with the alternate title “Manson’s Highland Fling” (a reference to Skinner’s son, named Manson). The title refers to a specific dance step, the Rocking Step of the Highland Fling. However, Nigel Gatherer notes that in 18th century Scotland a "rocking" was the Lowland equivalent of the Highland "ceilidh", and thus a rocking step could mean a more idiosyncratic dance step performed at a ceilidh. M.A. Alburger records that Aberdeenshire fiddler Bill Duguid, received advice from Skinner himself about his tune "The Rockin Step":

Play four time sthrough with great force. This will be the leading strathspey in my future collection (ed. Harp and Claymore), 50% of which is ready...Learn this tune as I want to associate it with the Reel o'Tulloch and Highland Fling.

Skinner included, below the music in his manuscript copy, verses by William Martin:

J. Scott Skinner (seated) with his son Manson and Professor William Scott, a dancing master, c. 1890's.

Ho! Fiddler tune your strings aright
And play a strain of mirth and might,
While lads an’ lasses tripping light,
Glide gaily through the Reel
Hurrah! the Rocking Step rings out,
Hurrah! with clap and snap and shout
To right, to left, and round about
With nimble foot they wheel.

Still louder peals the strain on high,
And forces the fire in cheek and eye,
The flounces flout, the ribbons fly
Like pennons in the gale;
Black Care the blinking one has fled,
Or if he dare to lift his head
Beneath their feet they ? him dead
And laugh to hear his wail.