Annotation:Craigieburn Wood

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CRAIGIEBURN WOOD. Scottish, Air (6/8 time). G Major. Standard tuning (fiddle). AABB. "Craigieburn Wood", named for the woods of Craigie-burn near Moffat, is the name of a song by poet Robert Burns (1759-1796), first published in 1791. It was a favorite haunt of Burns, who composed this song to help his friend, a certain Mr. Gillespie, win the affections of the fair and flaxen-haired Miss Jean Lorimer, whose suit ultimately proved unsuccessful (as she afterwards became Mrs. Whelpdale). She was born at Cragieburn Wood, and lived in the neighboring farm when Burns resided at Ellisland. He was enamored of her as well, and it was to her as his "Chloris" that he wrote several pieces. Burns wrote two sets of words to the melody, the first printed in Johnson's Scots Musical Museum, and the second in George Thomson's 'Scottish Airs. "Craigieburn Wood" begins:

Sweet closes the ev'ning on Craigieburn Wood,
And blythely awaukens the morrow;
But the pride o' the spring in the Craigieburn Wood
Can yield to me nothing but sorrow.

Chorus:
Beyond thee, dearie, beyond thee, dearie,
And O to be lying beyond thee!
O sweetly, soundly, weel may he sleep
That's laid in the bed beyond thee!

It was one of the Scottish songs that received a setting from Classical composer Franz Joseph Haydn (Hob. XXXIa:193). The air is traditional.