The Corncrake
I Hae a Wife o ma Ain

On Springthyme SPRCD 1004
OSSIAN - Ossian

Billy Ross - lead vocal & dulcimer; Billy Jackson - whistle, small pipes & vocal; George Jackson - guitar, mandolin & vocal; John Martin - fiddle, cello & vocal.

A traditional love song, The Corncrake comes from south west Scotland mentioning the town of Ayr and the river Doune which flows to the sea just south of the town. The sound of the corncrake (a harsh rasping call which might not be thought particularly romantic) has now become rare in mainland Scotland with the loss of meadow habitat. The song is known throughout Scotland and is in the Greig-Duncan Folk-Song Collection. This is followed by the air of another song, in jig time I Hae a Wife o Ma Ain which was written by Robert Burns and contributed by him to Johnson's Scots Musical Museum in 1792.

1: Oh the lass that I loed best of all was handsome young and fair, Wi her I spent some merry nights upon the banks o Ayr; Wi her I spent some merry nights by yon wee burnie rows, Whaur the echo mocks the corncrakes amang the whinny knowes.   2: Oh we loed each other dearly and disputes we seldom had, As constant as the pendulum her heart beats always glad; We sought for joy and found it by yon wee burnie rows, Whaur the echo mocks the corncrakes amang the whinny knowes.   3: Ah ye maidens fair and pleasure dames drive tae the banks o Doune, An ye'll dearly pay for every scent tae the barber for perfume; But rural joy is free tae aa whaur scented clover grows, Whaur the echo mocks the corncrakes amang the whinny knowes.   4: Oh the lass that I loed best of all was handsome young and fair, Wi her I spent some merry nights upon the banks o Ayr; Wi her I spent some merry nights by yon wee burnie rows, Whaur the echo mocks the corncrakes amang the whinny knowes.