Andrew Coupar (Andrew Cowper)

DESCRIPTION: "it's lang, lang to Lammas, Till I see my dear, I long to be with her When the evenings are clear." The singer curses Cluny, who has married the singer's Jeanie. He draws his sword on Cluny at a celebration, and one of them ends up dead
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST DATE: 1859 (Aytoun MS. of the Harris repertoire)
KEYWORDS: love separation homicide
FOUND IN: Britain(Scotland)
REFERENCES (1 citation):
Lyle/McAlpine/McLucas-SongRepertoireOfAmeliaAndJaneHarris, pp. 196-109, "Andrew Cowper/Andrew Coupar" (2 texts, 1 tune)
Roud #18038
NOTES [103 words]: The fragment of this song preserved by the Harrises does not make it clear who killed whom at the end, but the notes say that Jeanie Ogilvy was originally interesed in Andrew Coupar of Lochblair, but she was induced to marry her cousin, another Ogilvy, the "Daft Laird of Cluny Castle." When the two met at a funeral, Coupar taunted Cluny but did not actually attack him. Cluny responded by shooting Coupar. Cluny, after fleeing to France, eventually bought off Coupar's sisters, but his wife was never happy with him. So the event was a tragedy all around. I'm surprised the song didn't become more widely known. - RBW
Last updated in version 4.2
File: LMMH019

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