Hi Tattie Bogle

I don't think there has been any interpretation here, over or otherwise. The fact that tune of The Mist Covered Mountains of Home was based on that of Johnny's so Long at the Fair has been documented in hundreds of places; and Jim McLean himself said that he modified the tune of The Mist Covered Mountains of Home when he wrote Smile in Your Sleep, and he also said that the tune of The Mist Covered Mountains of Home had been based on that of Johnny's So Long at the Fair.

The link between the tunes of Sam Hall and Ye Jacobites by Name has been commented on in many places over many decades - it wasn't noticed for the first time in this thread. Although it can't be proved that the author of Sam Hall based its tune on Ye Jacobites, it's generally accepted that it's likely that he did.

The tunes of Ye Jacobites by Name and My Love's in Germany are actually identical - and it's well known that Burns hardly ever wrote the tunes for his songs, but unashamedly borrowed them from elsewhere.