The Household Book of Select Songs: With Numerous Critical Explanatory Observations on Their Poetical Beauties and Their Authors (Classic Reprint)

Excerpt from The Household Book of Select Songs: With Numerous Critical Explanatory Observations on Their Poetical Beauties and Their Authors

To William Hamilton, of Bangor, a Scottish Poet of the last century, we are indebted for this sprightly and popular lyric. He was of an ancient Ayrshire family; and possessed the advantages of easy circumstances and a liberal education. Being a politician as well as a poet, he attached himself to the unfortunate cause of the Stuarts, and produced several Jacobite effusions, among which is the well known ode of "Gladsmuir." After the battle of Culloden, he became an exile, and died in France, in 1754, in the fiftieth year of his age.

"Jockie to the Fair" is a song of much excellence, combining the attractions of pastoral description, dramatic fervor and romantic narrative, with an easy and flowing versification. The air is well adapted to the words, being lively and agreeably modulated, and has, no doubt, contributed to the popularity of the song.

'Twas on the morn of sweet May-day,
When Nature painted all things gay,
Taught birds to sing, and lambs to play,
And gild the meadows rare;
Young Jockie with the early dawn,
Arose, and trip't it o'er the lawn;
His Sunday coat the youth put on,
For Jenny had vow'd away to run
With Jockey to the fair.
For Jenny had vow'd , &c.

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