Can Ye Play Me Duncan Gray

Scottish Poem By Robert Burns

Duncan Gray is the title of many Scottish poems written by Robert Burns around 1792, sung to a tune by the same name, believed to be composed much earlier by Duncan Gray, a carter in Glasgow.

The tune predates Burns, appearing in the Caledonian Pocket Companion 1751 and in the Scots Musical Museum, 1788 with an older version of the words.

Here is a transcription taken from the text at the foot of Glen Collection Of Printed Music, Illustrations of the lyric poetry and music of Scotland, page 148-149, c. 1853.

It is generally reported, that this lively air was composed by Duncan Gray, a carter or carman in Glasgow, about the beginning of last century, and that the tune was taken down from his whistling it two or three times to a musician in that city. It is inserted both in Macgibbon and Oswald's Collections.

The comic verses to which it is united in the Museum, beginning "Wearie fa you, Duncan Gray - Ha, ha, the girdin o't," are taken from the old song, with considerable alterations, by Burns. Our poet, however, wrote another exceedingly humorous song to the same tune in December 1792, which is here subjoined. Duncan Gray cam here to woo... Ha, ha, the wooing o't.

Burns, in a letter to Mr George Thomson, dated 4th December 1792, says, "The foregoing I submit, my dear Sir, to your better judgment. Acquit them or condemn them, as seemeth good in your sight. Duncan Gray is that kind of light-horse gallop of an air which precludes sentiment. The ludicrous is its ruling feature."

It is worth noting that Robert Burns both collected other peoples material and wrote his own, so there is great difficulty in establishing for sure what material is actually, wholly his.

Here is where some doubt creeps in...

This version of Duncan Gray is from The Merry Muses of Caledonia/Duncan Gray, page 112.

Here is a transcription taken from the text at the head of The Merry Muses of Caledonia/Duncan Gray, page 112.

An old song. Burns's purified version is well known. Another version, beginning "Weary fa' ye, Duncan Gray," more on the lines of the original, is ascribed erroneously by some editors to Burns. It will be found in Scott Douglas's Kilmarnock Edition (Vol. I., p. 221).

Related Scottish Country Dances

Duncan Gray

Duncan Gray, By Robert Burns

Can ye play me Duncan Gray,
Ha, ha, the girdin' o't,
O'er the hills an' far awa',
Ha, ha, ha, the girdin' o't.
Duncan came our Meg to woo,
Meg was nice and wadna do,
But like an ether puff'd and blew
At offer o' the girdin' o't.

Duncan, he cam' here again,
Ha, ha, the girdin' o't.
A' was out an' Meg her lane,
Ha, ha, ha, the girdin' o't.
He kiss'd her butt, he kiss'd her ben,
He bang'd a thing against her wame;
But, troth, I now forget its name,
But, I trow, she gat the girdin' o't.

She took him to the cellar then,
Ha, ha, the girdin' o't,
To see gif he could do't again,
Ha, ha, the girdin' o't.
He kiss'd her ance, he kiss'd her twice,
An' maybe Duncan kiss'd her thrice,
Till deil a mair the thing wad rise,
To gie her the lang girdin' o't.

But Duncan took her to his wife,
Ha, ha, the girdin' o't.
To be the comfort o' his life,
Ha, ha, the girdin' o't.
An' now she scauls baith night an' day,
Except when Duncan's at the play;
An' that's as seldom as he may,
He's weary o' the girdin' o't.

Can Ye Play Me Duncan Gray Song Video

Can Ye Play Me Duncan Gray Song - Information Video

Robert Burns
"Portrait Of Burns" Alexander Nasmyth (1758-1840), c. 1787

The Online Scots Dictionary Translate Scots To English.
Dance information licensed under this Creative Commons Licence 3.0.
Text from this original Merry Muses of Caledonia/Duncan Gray article on Wikisource.
Image copyright Alexander Nasmyth [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons.

Back to the top of this 'Can Ye Play Me Duncan Gray Poem' page