II. John Anderson my Jo. A SCOTTISH SONG. ......................................................
While in England verse was made the vehicle of controversy, and Popery was
attacked in it by logical argument, or stinging satire; we may be sure the zeal of the
Scottish Reformers would not suffer their pens to be idle, but many a pasquil was
discharged at the Romish priests, and their enormous encroachments on property. Of
this kind perhaps is the following, (preserved in Maitland's MS. Collection of Scottish
poems in the Pepysian Library:)
"Tak a Wobster, that is leill,
And a Miller, that will not steill,
With ane Priest, that is not gredy,
And lay ane deid corpse thame by,
And, throw virtue of thame three,
That deid corpse sall qwyknit be."
Thus far all was fair: but the furious hatred of Popery led them to employ their
rhymes in a still more licentious manner. It is a received tradition in Scotland, that at
the time of the Reformation, ridiculous and obscene songs were composed to be sung
by the rabble to the tunes of the most favourite hymns in the Latin service.Green
sleeves and pudding pies(designed to ridicule the popish clergy) is said to have been
one of these metamorphosed hymns;Maggy Lauderwas another:John Anderson my
Jowas a third. The original music of all these burlesque sonnets was very fine. To
give a specimen of their manner, we have inserted one of the least offensive. The
reader will pardon the meanness of the composition for the sake of the anecdote,
which strongly marks the spirit of the times.
In the present edition this song is much improved by some new readings
communicated by a friend; who thinks by the "seven Bairns," in st. 2d are meant the
Seven Sacraments; five of which were the spurious offspring of Mother Church: as
the first stanza contains a satirical allusion to the luxury of the popish clergy.
The adaption of solemn church music to these ludicrous pieces, and the jumble
of ideas thereby occasioned, will account for the following fact.-- From the Records
of the General Assembly in Scotland, called,The Book of the Universal Kirk,p. 90,
7th July, 1568, it appears, that Thomas Bassendyne, printer in Edinburgh, printed "a
psalme buik, in the end whereof was found printit ane baudy sang, called,Welcome
Fortunes."[1]
WOMANJOHN Anderson my jo, cum in asze gae by,
Andze sall get a sheips heid weel baken in a pye;
Weel baken in a pye, and the haggis in a pat;
John Anderson my jo, cum in, andze's get that.
MAN"And how doeze, Cummer? and hove haeze threven?
And how mony bairns haeze?" WOM. "Cummer, I hae seven,"
MAN. Are they tozour awin gude man?" WOM. Na, Cummer, na;
For five of tham were gotten, quhan he was awa'."