My Boy Tammy- Macneill (Scotland) 1791
[This song was first published by Macneill, in May 1791, in The Bee, an Edinburgh periodical, conducted by Dr James Anderson. According Charles Rogers in his 1855 book, The Modern Scottish Minstrel: "It is adapted to an old and sweet air, to which, however, very puerile words were attached." The text is reprinted from Songs of Scotland, ed. by C. Mackay edited by Charles Mackay.
Macneill's text, which became the standard popular text and was reprinted many times, is nearly identical with Herd's earlier 1776 text titled, "The Lammie." See a Biography of Macneill attached to Recordings & Info page.
R. Matteson 2011]
MY BOY TAMMY- Hector Macneill 1791 (Born 1746, died July 15, 1818)
Whar ha'e ye been a' day,
My boy Tammy?—
I've been by burn and flow'ry brae,
Meadow green and mountain grey,
Courting o' this young thing,
Just come frae her mammy.
And whar gat ye that young thing,
My boy Tammy?—
I got her down in yonder howe,
Smiling on a bonnie knowe,
Herding ae wee lamb and ewe
For her poor mammy.
AVhat said ye to the bonnie bairn,
My boy Tammy?—
I praised her een sae lovely blue,
Her dimpled cheek and cherry mou';
I pree'd it aft, as ye may trow,—
She said she'd tell her mammy.
I held her to my beating heart,
My young, my smiling lammie;
I hae a house, it cost me dear,
I've walth o'plenishen and gear;
Ye'se get it a', were't ten times mair,
Gin ye will leave your mammy.
The smile ga'ed aff her bonny face—
I mauna leave my mammy;
She's gien me meet, she's gien me claise,
She's been my comfort a' my days;
My father's death brought monny waes:
I canna leave my mammy.
We'll tak her hame and mak her fain,
My ain kind-hearted lammie;
We'll gie her meet, we'll gie her claise,
We'll be her comfort a' her days.
The wee thing gies her hand and says,
There, gang and ask my mammy.
Has she been to the kirk wi' thee,
My boy Tammy?—
She has been to the kirk wi' me,
And the tear was in her ee:
For, oh, she's but a young thing,
Just come frae her mammy!
________________
X:1
T:My Boy Tammy
C:Words Hector MacNeill, c.1791. Tune traditional.
B:Scots Musical Museum, VI, 1803, no.502
N:SMM prints 3/16 note in 4th bar as 1/8
N:Roud 326, Child 12 (appendix)
L:1/8
Q:1/4=100
M:4/4
K:F
D3/2 E/ F3/2 G/ (A3/2=B/) c2|(G3/2A/) (G3/2F/) E/ C3/2 z|
w:Whaur hae ye been a'_ day, my_ boy_ Tam-my?
D3/2 E/ F3/2 G/ (A3/2=B/) c2|(Af) (ed) A/ d3/2 z d|
w:Whar hae ye been a'_ day, my_ boy_ Tam-my? I've
d3/2 e/ f3/2 d/ c3/2 B/ A2|F3/2 A/ c3/2 A/ G3/2 E/ C2|
w:been by burn and flow'r-y brae, Mea-dow green and moun-tain grey,
d3/2 f/ e3/2 f/ d2 A2|F3/2 G/ A3/2 G/ F/ D3z/|]
w:Court-ing o' this young thing, just come frae her mam-my.