Scottish and other versions 7E. Will Ye Gang Love, or, Rashy Muir (Rashie Moor; Rashy Moor; For Love; Wad ye Gang, Love and Leave me Noo?)
[This Scottish love song is closely related to Died for Love, especially among second and third generation singers such as Isla St Clair of Aberdeen whose moving and beautifully sung variant[1] was recorded in 1971 and 1973. St Clair learned the song from her mother who got it from her mother. It can be heard at School of Scottish Studies as recorded by Fred Kent (1971) or Hamlish Henderson(1973). Her version is similar to anther excellent version by Andre Robbie of Strichen that was recorded in 1960[2]. Robbie's version has been widely published[3] and been covered by Electric Scotland. Both St. Clair and Robbie's versions rely heavily of stanzas from Died for Love. Archie Fisher's third generation version that he learned while living near Kirkcaldy in Fife (1960s)[4] is closer to Greig A and has two new stanzas not usually found in tradition. Here's the text to Isla St Clair's excellent version:
Wad ye Gang, Love and Leave me Noo? sung by Isla St Clair of Aberdeen, Aberdeenshire in 1971, 1973. Learned from her mother, who got it from her mother. Transcribed from recording by Hamlish Henderson, 1973. An earlier recording was made in 1971 by Fred Kent.
My love stands in yon chaumer door
Cambing[5] back his yellow hair
His curly locks I lang to see
I wonder if my laddie minds on me.
Chorus: Wad ye gang, love, and leave me noo?
Wad ye gang, love, and leave me noo?
Wad ye forsake your ain love true
To ga' off with a lassie that ye never knew?
As lang as my apron did bide doon
He followed me frae toon tae toon
But noo it's up abein[6] my knee
He passed by but kens nae me.
I wish, I wish, but I wish in vain,
O that I were a maid again,
But a maid again I will never be
Till an apple grows on a rodden[7] tree.
I wish, I wish my babe was born,
And sittin' on mather's knee
And I mysel was deid and gane
The long green growin' over me.
CHORUS: Oh he's gang, gang, he's left me noo
He's gang, gang, he's left me noo
He has forsook his ain love true
To ga' off with a lassie that he never knew?
A number of cover versions of Andrew Robbie's version have been made including Electric Scotland. The Black Family's 1986 recording is attributed to "the Fisher family of Glasgow[8]" so it's an arrangement of Archie Fischer's 1976 version. The 1st generation tradition is rather small two long texts in Greig, one a composite, a text by Murison(1896), and text by Willie Mathieson, a late 1st generation singer from Ellon, Aberdeenshire who sang the "Will Ye Gang" chorus.
There are two different opening stanzas. The first and probably the oldest is given from Grieg-Duncan D:
Rashy Muir (opening stanza )
As I cam' thro' yon rashie moor
Fa spied I in my true love's door?
My hairt grew sair, and my eyes grew blin',
To see my bonnie love leave me ahin'.
This stanza was published in the English 1860s broadside "I Am a Rover" as a floating stanza and has been found in that tradition. This suggests a possible unknown print version probably from Scotland in the early 1800s. The second opening stanza given from Isla St Clair (see full text above) usually has the "Will Ye Gang' chorus:
My love stands in yon chaumer door
Cambing back his yellow hair
His curly locks I lang to see
I wonder if my laddie minds on me.
Will Ye Gang Love, or, Rashy Muir is closely related to the Died for Love songs and their extended family. Most of the recent recordings after 1976 seem to be derivative arrangements from either Robbie, St. Clair or Fisher. Even St. Clair and Fisher's versions may be arrangements. For more information see Main Headnotes,
R. Matteson 2017]
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Footnotes:
1. St Clair's version, recorded twice st Scottish School of Studies in 1971 and 1973, is close to Robbie's 1960 version and may constitute an arrangement although Henderson attributes it to her Mother.
2. "Will Ye Gang Love?" was sung by Andrew Robbie of Strichen, Aberdeenshire on February 3, 1960 as recorded by Prof. Kenneth Goldstein.
3. Publications include Soodlum's "100 Great Scottish Songs" and Norman Buchan's "101 Scottish Songs."
4. The information "learned while Archie live at Torbain Farm Cottages, just outside Kirkcaldy in Fife, probably in the late 1960s" came mostly from a post on Mudcat Discussion Forum.
5. combing
6. above
7. Rowan tree
8. This information came from Malcolm Douglas from a post on Mudcat Discussion Forum.
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CONTENTS: (Click on titles to access texts attached to this page on left hand or click on blue highlighted titles below)
1) The Rashy Muir- George F. Duncan (Glas) c.1875
2) For Love- Willie Mathieson (Aber) c.1894 REC
3) Rashy Muir- Murison (Aber) 1896 Lyle
4) Rashie Moor- Mrs. Grieve (Aber) c.1907 Greig D
5) Rashy Muir- Mrs. Lyall (Aber) c.1907 Greig B
6) The Alehouse- Mrs. Duncan (Aber) 1907 Greig
7) Rashy Moor- Mrs. Cruickshank (Aber) 1908 Greig E
8) Will Ye Gang Love? Andrew Robbie (Aber) 1960
9) Wad Ye Gang, Love- Isla St Clair (Aber) 1973
10) Will Ye Gang, Love- Archie Fisher (Glas) 1976
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An explanation of some of the Scots words used in Rashy Muir:
chaumer= "chamber" door from old French chaumere, a little hut. This chaumer, or chammer, was a kind of detached room of the farm-houses of yore: here slept all the young men belonging to the family [The Scottish Gallovidian Encyclopedia].
Will ye gang, love, and leave me noo?= Will you go and leave me now?
cam’ in by yon = came via that
Wha’ = who
sair = sore
een = eyes
ye gang = you go
noo = now
Wad ye = would you
gang wi’ a lad = go with a man
Ochone = a gaelic word meanin “Woe is me”
gowd = gold
hae = have
wi’ a richt guid will = with a right goodwill
rodden tree= rowan tree
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3.The Browne Sisters and George Cavanaugh, West of Home, Woodenship Records, 1996.
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Will Ye Gang, Love [text- Andrew Robbie]
My love he stands in yon chaumer door
Combing doob his yellow hair
His curly locks I like to see
I wonder if my love minds on me.
cho: Will ye gang, love, and leave me noo
Will ye gang, love, and leave me noo
Will ye forsake your own true love
And gang wi' a lass that ye never knew?
I wish, I wish, I wish in vain
I wish I were a maid again,
But a maid again I'll never be
Till an apple grows on an orange tree.
I wish, I wish my babe was born
I wish it sat on's daddy's knee
And I myself were deid and gone
And the wavin' grass all o'er me growin'.
As lang as my apron did bide doon
He followed me frae toon tae toon
But noo it's up and above my knee
My lovce gaes by but kens nae me.
Make my grave baith lang and deep
Put a bunch of roses at my head and feet
And in the middle put a turtle dove
Let the people know I died of love.
note: Not only is the sentiment universal, so, apparently, are the words. RG
From Soodlums 100 Great Scottish Songs
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A fine singer from Kirkcaldy (Irene Riggs) also sang this and she also sang 'lang toun end'. Rashie Moor and Will ye Gang Love are both in 101 Scots Songs and I think at least one of the sets of words above are an amalgam of both. The most recent Scottish variants are in: Buchan 1962: 61, with the title, "Will Ye Gang, Love?"; Buchan and Hall 1973: 93, a version by Lizzie Mary Hutchison; and MacColl and Seeger 1977: 194-98, sung by Charlotte Higgins.
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WILL YE GANG LOVE Trad., arr. Black Brothers from Archie Fisher
"The Black Family," Dara Records, CD 023, track 6, 1986
As I came in by yon rushy wood
What spied I at my true love's door
My heart stood still, my eyes grew blind
For to see my bonnie lad leave me behind.
Chorus:
And will ye gang love and leave me now
Will ye gang love and leave me now
Will ye forsake your own true love
And gang wi' a lass that you never knew.
As I came in by yon lenten wend
I spied another my love attend
I bowed my head, I cried ochón
The best of my good days are gone.
And I will tell you the reason why
Because she's got more gold than I
And I will tell you the reason true
The sweeter taste of a love that's new.
I leaned my back against an oak
Thinking it was a trusty tree
But first it bent and then it broke
And so has my love done unto me.
And if you love me we'll never part
And instead of gold you can have my heart
You can have my heart with a right good will
You're a bonnie laddie, I love you still.
"The Black Family," Dara Records, CD 023, track 6, 1986
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WILL YE GANG, LOVE?
Traditional- Electric Scotland
My love he stands in yon chaumer door,
Combing doon his yellow hair,
His curly locks I like to see,
I wonder if my love minds on me.
Chorus :
Will ye gang love, an' leave me noo?
Will ye gang love, an' leave me noo?
Will ye forsake your ain love true,
An' gang wi' a lass that ye never knew?
I wish, I wish, I wish in vain
I wish I were a maid again.
But a maid again I'll never be
Till an apple grows on an orange tree.
I wish I wish my babe was born
I wish it sat on's daddy's knee,
An' I myself were deid an' gone
An' the wavin' grass all o'er me growin'.
As lang as my apron did bide doon
He followed me frae toon tae toon,
But noo it's up an' above ma knee
My love gaes by but he kens na me.
Mak' my grave baith lang and deep
Put a bunch of roses at my head and feet,
And in the middle put a turtle dove,
Let the pople know I died of love.
Footnote : This is a bonnie version of a song whose theme is basic to all folk-song. It is related in Scotland to such songs as 'The Rashy Moor' and 'Waly Waly', and in America to 'The Wild Goose Grasses' and 'Careless Love'.
he most recent Scottish variants are in: Buchan 1962: 61, with the title, "Will Ye Gang, Love?"; Buchan and Hall 1973: 93, a version by Lizzie Mary Hutchison; and MacColl and Seeger 1977: 194-98, sung by Charlotte Higgins
Item Notes - Four verses, with chorus after verses one and two, and a modified valedictory chorus at the end. Performed live in concert at the Scott Conference, held as part of the bicentennial celebrations of Sir Walter Scott's birth. Isla St Clair sings "Wad ye gyang love and lyve me noo," appropriate to her own Buchan roots, as well as 'rodden' for 'rowan' tree, although the song is more commonly known as 'Will Ye Gang, Love'.
This song is from a large family of songs with several floating verses. There are similarities with numerous other songs in the Roud Folk Song Index: nos. 60, 273, 409, 495, 6776, 18828, 18833, 18832. MacColl & Seeger's 'Travellers' Songs from England and Scotland' contains a detailed discussion of this song family (1977, pp. 237-239).
from the singing of Andrew Robbie, although in a slightly different order, and without the grave motif (1962, pp. 61, 152). It also seems to be a melding of three songs in Greig-Duncan, all in volume 6: song 1086, 'My Love He Stands' (p. 20), song 1169, 'Died for Love' (pp. 255-263), and song 1215, 'The Rashy Muir' (pp. 377-379). The final modified chorus in this version sounds like a modern construction done to round off the logic of the song's narrative.