Annotation:If You Will Not Have Me You May Let Me Go
X:1 T:If you will not have me, you may lett me go M:6/8 L:1/8 S:William Vickers' 1770 music manuscript collection (Northumberland) Z:AK/Fiddler's Companion K:Bb FBB dcB|Acc edc|dff edc|e/d/c/B/ A/B/c/A/ B2:| |:fBB gfB|b/a/g/f/ e/d/c/B/ A2|GB A/B/c/A/ e/d/c/B/|FB A/B/c/A/ B2:| |:B,DD FFD|EGG ccA|Bdd FFD|E2F2 B,2:| |:dBB GEE|cAA FFD|BGG EFD|E2 F2 B,2:|]
IF YOU WILL NOT HAVE ME, YOU MAY LET ME GO. English, "Old" or Triple Hornpipe (3/2, 6/4, 6/8 time). B Flat Major (Vickers): B Minor (Offord). Standard tuning (fiddle). AABBCCDD. The melody appears in the 1770 music manuscript book (p. 34) of Northumbrian musician William Vickers (about whom, unfortunately, nothing is known). Vickers gives the same notes with a key of two flats, set in 6/8 time. A modern version in minor mode, two sharps (tonic 'B') has become the preferred one, popularized by Jaime Knowles.
The title, "If you will not have me, you may let me go," is a line from a song, originally Scots, but sung in London under the title "Wallackum Doodle Do." It can be found at the end of the first stanza:
Jockey said to Jenny,
"Jenny wilt thou do it?"
"Ne'er a word," quoth Jenny,
"For my fortune's gude;
For my fortune's gude,
I will na marry thee,
Gin you will na ha me,
You may let me be. [1]
"Wallackum Doodle Do" is the burden. The song is a version of "Sang 16" written in 1725 by Allan Ramsay for his pastoral comedy Wikipedia:The Gentle Shepherd (Act IV, sc. 1), where Bauldy enters singing:
Jockey said to Jeany, "Jeany, wilt thou do't?"
"Ne'er a bit," quo' Jeany, "for my tocher guid;
For my tocher guid, I winna marry thee,"
"E'en's ye like," quo' Jockey, "I can let ye be.
I hae gowd and gear, I hae land eneugh,
I hae sax good oswen ganging in a pleugh--
Ganging in a pleugh, and linkin' o'er the lee,
An gin ye winna tak me, I can let ye be. [2]
Ramsay's air, while also in 3/2 time, is different than Vickers.
