Highland Lad and Lawland Lass, The

DESCRIPTION: A couple argue. He is bound to fight for Charles. She is unhappy that he would leave her so freely. He assures he he will be true and finally convinces her that he should go. She sends him off to fight for Charles, "procure renown" and return to her.
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST DATE: 1821 (Hogg-JacobiteRelicsOfScotlandVol2)
LONG DESCRIPTION: The Highland Lad says "the pipers play" and it is time "for freedom and our prince to fight." Jenny complains that he would "so freely part." He says king and country outweigh his love. She says Whigs will mock her for trusting him. He says he will always be true and when he returns "Charles shall reign, and she's be mine." She concedes that she would not want "your manly courage stay." He praises "your charms, your sense, your noble mind" and says his "sole delight shall br My prince's right and love of thee." She sends him off to "procure renown, And for your lawful king his crown" before he returns to his Jenny.
KEYWORDS: dialog political Jacobites separation
FOUND IN: Britain(Scotland)
REFERENCES (3 citations):
Hogg-JacobiteRelicsOfScotlandVol2 106, "Lawland Lassie" (1 text, 1 tune)
Greig/Duncan1 123, "Lowland Lassie" (1 text)
ADDITIONAL: James Kinsley, editor, Burns: Complete Poems and Songs (shorter edition, Oxford, 1969) #578,, p. 683-684, "Highland Laddie" (1 text, 1 tune, from the Scots Musical Museum)
CROSS-REFERENCES:
cf. "The Highland Laddie" (tune and structure)
NOTES [181 words]: The alternate lines for the male part are "[My] bonny lassie, Lawland lassie" and for the female part "[My] bonny laddie, Highland laddie."
The Greig/Duncan1 and Burns texts are almost identical.
Greig/Duncan1: "This text combines stanzas found in two separate songs, both sung to the tune 'Bonny laddie, Highland laddie'.... St. 1 occurs in 'A Song' beginning 'The bonniest lad that e'er I saw' and sts. 2-3 occur in 'The Highland Lad and Lawland Lass' beginning 'Trumpets sound and cannons roar'." I have kept it with the latter since the Greig/Duncan1 version retains the dialog form. - BS
The Burns and Grieg/Duncan forms may be alike, but they are much worn down from the full form found in the description. The Burns form has only six stanzas -- two for the girl, then two for the guy, then two more for the girl. What's more, it never mentions Charles. That, to be sure, may have been a factual correction, since Bonnie Prince Charlie's father was still alive at the time of the 1745 rebellion -- even had the revolt succeeded, Charles would not have been King for many years. - RBW
Last updated in version 2.4
File: GrD1123

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