O Wha's At The Window
Scottish Song By Alex Carlyle
O Wha's At The Window is a Scottish song by Alexander (Alex) Carlile (1788-1860) of Paisley, in the west central Lowlands of Scotland. Mr R A Smith wrote the air to accompany the song.Alexander Carlile, the fourth son of James Carlile, was born in Paisley in 1788. Privately educated, he pursued a commercial career and joined his father's business, James Carlile, Sons And Co., thread manufacturers in Paisley. In 1817, he married Frances (born 1797), daughter of Robert Hatkin, of Alnwick, and had six children.
Alex had literary interests and was among the founders and part proprietors of the Paisley Magazine, which appeared for only one year in 1828. As well as this song he released a volume of poems dedicated to the Duke of Argyll in 1855. His wife died in 1858, and he passed away in 1860, being laid to rest in Paisley Abbey.
Robert Archibald Smith (1780-1829) was a Scottish musical Romantic composer, known for his collection "Scotish Minstrel", which first appeared in around 1821.
Robert was born in Reading, Berkshire, the son of a silk-weaver originally from East Kilbride. He apprenticed in silk-weaving, participated in a church choir, and played in a volunteer regiment band in Reading.
In 1800, the family relocated to Paisley, Renfrewshire, where both father and son became muslin weavers. Smith joined a volunteer company, played in its band, and composed its marches and quick-steps. Becoming a teacher of music, he was in 1807 appointed leader of psalmody in Paisley Abbey.
In 1817 he conducted his first public performance of sacred music in the Abbey and in 1823 Smith was appointed musical conductor in St. George's Church, Edinburgh.
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O Wha's At The WindowO Wha's At The Window By Alex Carlyle
O wha's at the window, wha, wha?
but blythe Jamie Glen,
He's come sax miles an' ten,
To tak' bonnie Jeanie awa' awa',
To tak' bonnie Jeanie awa'.
Bridal maidens are braw, braw,
O bridal maidens are braw, braw;
But the bride's modest e'e,
And warm cheek are to me,
'Boon pearlins and brooches, an' a', an' a',
'Boon pearlins and brooches, an' a'.
There's mirth on the green, in the ha', the ha',
There's mirth on the green, in the ha', the ha',
There's laughing, there's quaffing,
There's jesting, there's daffing,
But the bride's father's blythest of a', of a',
But the bride's father's blythest of a'.
It's no that she's Jamie's ava, ava,
It's no that she's Jamie's ava, ava,
That my heart is sae weary,
When a' the lave's cheery,
But it's just that she'll aye be awa' awa',
But it's just that she'll aye be awa'.
O Wha's At The Window, From Glen Collection Of Printed Music, Wood's Edition Of The Songs Of Scotland, Page 109, c. 1857
The Online Scots Dictionary Translate Scots To English.
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Text from this original https://en.wikisource.org/wiki/Page:The_Book_of_Scottish_Song.djvu/386 article on Wikisource.
Text from this original https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_Archibald_Smith article on Wikipedia.
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