Lassie Wi' The Yellow Coatie (Border Book)
Scottish Country Dance Instruction
LASSIE WI' THE YELLOW COATIE (R8x32) 2C (4C set) Border Book1- 8 1s+2s walk RH across ½ way, set, walk RH across ½ way and set
9-16 1s+2s repeat above Fig
17-24 1s lead (walk) down to bottom and chassé back to top in Allemande hold
25-32 1s+2s dance Allemande
(MINICRIB. Dance crib compiled by Charles Upton, Deeside Caledonian Society, and his successors)
Keith Rose's Crib Diagram
Dance Instruction Videos
Lassie Wi' The Yellow Coatie (Border Book) - Scottish Country Dancing Instruction VideoDance Information
Also see the dance Lassie Wi' The Yellow Coatie (Rutherford).Lassie Wi' The Yellow Coatie from the Border Book is a different dance from the older dance of the same name published by John Johnson in 1742 and later interpreted by the RSCDS in Book 8.
The unusual title therefore has a history considerably older than this particular dance.
This dance shares its title with the Lassie Wi' The Yellow Coatie - Song, written by James Duff, known as the "Methven Poet", and published in Perth in 1816.
The song is a courtship song in which a country lad asks the "lassie wi' the yellow coatie" to marry him, assuring her that although his farm and wealth are modest, he has plenty to provide for them and will give her his heart.
Lassie wi' the yellow coatie,
Will ye wad a muirland Jockie?
Lassie wi' the yellow coatie,
Will ye busk an' gang wi' me?
The origin of the unusual title is uncertain. It has been suggested that "the lassies with the yellow coaties" were women who worked with the fishing fleets, gutting, salting and packing the catch, and that their distinctive yellow clothing identified their occupation. Although an attractive explanation, this has not been confirmed by a reliable historical source.
The title is certainly much older than James Duff's song: The Lassie in the Yellow Coatie was already the name of a published dance in 1742. Whether it originally referred to fishing women, a particular woman, or simply a girl wearing a yellow coat, remains unknown.
Lassie Wi' The Yellow Coatie Song - Information Video
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