Glen Collection of printed music > Printed music > Wood's edition of the songs of Scotland

THE SONGS OF SCOTLAND.
15
104
MODERATO.
GKEEN GROW THE RASHES, 0!
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There's nought but care on ev' - ry han', In ev* - ry hour that pass -es, O; What
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sig - ni - fies the life o' man, An 'twere na for the lass - es, O.
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Green grow the rash - es, O ! Green grow the rash - es, ! The
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sweet - e3t hours that ere I spend, Are spent a - mang the lass - es, !
The warldly race may riches chase,
An' riches still may fly them, ;
An' though at last they catch them fast,
Their hearts can ne'er enjoy them, 0.
Green grow, &c.
For you sae douce, wha sneer at this,
Ye're nought but senseless asses, ;
The wisest man the warld e'er saw,
He dearly lo'ed the lasses, 0.
Green grow, &c.
Gie me a cannie hour at e'en,
My arms about my dearie, ;
An' warldly cares and warldly men,
May a' gae tapsalteerie, 1 0.
Green grow, &c.
Auld Nature swears, the lovely dears
Her noblest work she classes, ;
Her 'prentice han' she tried on man,
And then she made the lasses, 0.
Green grow, &c.
1 Tapsalteerie — topsy-turvy.
" Gkeen geow the Rashes, !" " The air of this song is old; a bad set of it occurs in Oswald's first Collection,
1 740 ; but he seems to have forgot that the tune had been used as a reel, as well as a song, in Scotland, time out of
memory The tune appears to have been also known by the title of Cow thou me the rashes green,' quoted iu
the Complaynt of Scotland, in 1549." See Museum Illustrations, vol. i. pp. 82, 83. The verses were written by
Burns. In the MS. Lute-Book of Sir Robert Gordon of Straloch, 1627-29, mentioned in the Note upon " Bonnie wee
thing," p. 4 of this work, is found, " Green greus y c rasses, A daunce ;" and, in the same MS., another air, almost
identical, named, " I kist her while she blusht." Both of these the Editor translated into modern notation for David
Laing, Esq., who published them in his " Additional Illustrations" to Johnson's Museum, vol. i. pp. 138, 139.
The assertion made above by Mr. Stenhouse, that this air was formerly known under the name of " Cow thou me
the rashes green," we believe to be altogether unfounded. He seems to have jumped to the conclusion, that because
" rashes" were mentioned in both names, therefore the airs must be identical. We can, however, prove the contrary;
for we have found, in a MS. of the sixteenth century, now in the British Museum, the words, " Colle thou me the
rysshys grene," set twice over to different music. Airs these cannot be called, for they are altogether destitute of
melody; they appear rather to be single parts of a piece intended for several voices. We need scarcely add they
bear not the slightest resemblance to our Scottish tune.