My Love is Long A-Growing: (Edin) c.1776 Herd
[Two stanza fragment from the MSS of David Herd (1732–1810) of Edinburgh dated 1776 or later, from "Songs from David Herd’s Manuscripts, Edited with Introduction and Notes by Hans Hecht, Dr: Phil (Edinburgh: William J. Hay), 1904.
Herd's only comment is found in the margin, "A very fine tune not in any collection MSS." Herd's fine tune has not been found.
According to Dr. Hans Hecht, Burns "used the two verses [from Herd's MS] almost literally in his song Lady Mary Ann."
R. Matteson 2016]
"My Love is Long A-Growing"
She look’d o’er the castle wa’,
She saw three lads play at the ba’,
O the youngest is the flower of a’!
But my love is lang o’ growing.
‘O father, gin ye think it fit,
We’ll send him to the college yet,
And tye a Ribban round his hat,
And, father, I’ll gang wi him!’