Annotation:Black Mary
X:1 T:Black Mary M:C L:1/8 R:Air Q:"Slow" B:Gow - Fourth Collection of Niel Gow's Reels (1800) Z:AK/Fiddler's Companion K:C c4 c4|~c2 BA G4|f4 e2d2|e2g2 a4|g3a (ag) fe| (fd)(ec) A2 {B}c2|G4 A2c2|{e}Td4 c2:| |:c>d|e2 e4 dc|f4 f2 Tc>d|e2 e4 dc|~d4 d2 Tc>d| e2 e4 dc|Td(cd).e d(fe)d|{B}c3A G3A|T(cBc).d (cd)(ed)| [E4c4] [E4c4]|~c2 BA G4|f4 e2d2|e2g2a4| g3a (ag)(fe)|(fd)(ec) ~A3c|G4 A2c2|{e}Td4 c2:||
BLACK MARY. AKA and see "Melvil House." Scottish, Air (whole time). C Major (Gow): G Major (Aird). Standard tuning (fiddle). AB (Aird): AABB (Gow). 'Black Mary' = 'Dark-haired Mary'. "A very old Gaelic air" (Gow). The air is named "Is fallain gun dith thainig thu" and was set by Gow to words by poet James Hogg (1770-1835), The Ettrick Shepherd:
Black Mary
Mary is my only joy,
Mary is blithe, and Mary is coy,
Mary's the goud where there's nae alloy--
Though Black, yet O she's bonny.
Her breath is the birken bower o' spring,
Her lips the young rose opening,
An' her hair is the hue o' the raven's wing,
She's Black, but O she's bonny!
In other Gow family publications the tune is called Melvil House<div class="mw-ext-score" data-midi="/w/images/lilypond/j/1/j14edpz4rhv4wdsrugby9t00jhfphfa/j14edpz4.midi"><img src="/w/images/lilypond/j/1/j14edpz4rhv4wdsrugby9t00jhfphfa/j14edpz4.png" width="372" height="52" alt="
X:1
M:C
L:1/8
K:C
c4 c4|c2 BA G4|f4 e2d2|e2g2 a4|
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