This is #79 in the Child cannon.The variant here is #79A. It should
be noted that Child (1882-1898)CPB
(vol II, pp238-239) seems to use the version in the 1802 edition of
Scott's work, which
seems to be different to the version in the later 1833 (and subsequent)
editions. I, along with Bronson (1959-1972)BTT (vol II,
pp247-248)
have used the
later version. (Bronson, however, transposes the air and makes other
adjustments).
Scott does not give a source for this ballad. He also states that
this is only a fragment.
Regarding the lyrics in the typeset score, the lyrics are as set out
in
Scott's book. Although the lyrics match the text, there are some
punctuation differences; the "w" in "well" on the first line of the
verse as added to the score is lower case, and the second
line of the verse is terminated by a semi-colon.
Furthermore, in typesetting the score, I
have ignored the piano accompaniment that Scott also provided. The
linebreaks are also different.
