Digital Tradition Mirror

John Paterson's Mare

John Paterson's Mare

     1.
     The black and the brown
     Cam nearest the town,
     But Paterson's mare she came foremost;
     The dun and the gray
     Kept farthest away,
     But Paterson's mare she came foremost.
     Fy, whip her in, whip her out,
     Six shillings in a clout,
     O'er the kirk-style and away wi' her!

     2.
     The black and the broon
     Gang nearest the toon,
     John Paterson's filly gaes foremost.

     The black and the grey
     Gang a their ain way,
     John Paterson's filly gaes foremost.

     The black and the din
     They fell a ahin,
     John Paterson's filly gaes foremost.

     The black and the yellow
     Gae up like a swallow,
     John Paterson's filly gaes foremost.
     _______________________________________________________

     (1) Chambers, SSPB (1862), 60; (2) SC 57 (no.61), from
     Ayrshire.  Described by Chambers as "a rough ballad
     descriptive of the confused horse-race which used to
     take place at all country bridals long ago, between the
     home of the bride's father and that of her husband", the
     air to which was borrowed with comic appropriateness by
     the writer of "The Battle of Sheriff-Muir" ("There's
     some say that we wan", etc.), probably written shortly
     after the battle (13 November 1715).
     Hogg says the tune was previously called She's yours,
she's yours, she's nae mair ours, and to have been always
played at the taking away of a bride.  Henderson Berwick
(1856), 106, quotes "the bridal tune" as "She's yours! She's
yours!/ She's nae mair ours--/ Owre the Kirk-style/ And away
wi' her!"
MS
oct99

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