Annotation:He's Dear to me tho' he's far frae me

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HE'S DEAR TO ME THO' HE'S FAR FRAE ME. AKA - "He's dear dear to me that's far far away'." Scottish, Slow Air (4/4 time). F Major. Standard tuning (fiddle). One part (Davie): AAB (Gow). The song was published in John Johnson's Scots Musical Museum [1], vol. 6 (Edinburgh, 1803, p. 566). The lyric begins:

As I was walking by yon river side
my heart it was fair and O but I was weary
I thought upon the days that are past and gane
for he's dear dear to me tho' he's far far frae me.

Stenhouse notes that the song was first published on a single-sheet in 1796, written "by a gentleman." John Glen (1900) shows no mercy in his remarks on the piece, suggesting that the anonymity is justified, as "no self-respecting writer would put his name to such a feeble effort." He further opines that the melody is "a poor mongrel tune, not older than the words."

Source for notated version:

Printed sources: Carlin (The Gow Collection), 1986; No. 69. Davie (Davie's Caledonian Repository), 1829-30; p. 41. Gow (Complete Repository, Part 2), 1802; p. 10.

Recorded sources:

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