The DT lyrics are unlike anything I've ever seen anywhere else - it's really weird that DT should have used those ones. And given their stated source doesn't seem to use those lyrics either, it's even stranger.

I'm very curious about the origin of the song. Did Burns really write what is now the chorus and nothing more? One of the posts in the thread implies that's the case, and also, I note that only the chorus appears on any Burns website. But if Burns put the words to the "old highland melody" then that seems very odd - how could he have done so without writing at least one verse? Or did Burns write a one verse poem that was later converted into the chorus of a song by Robert Allan, who also wrote the rest of the song and added the music to it, all after Burns died?

These days there seem to be basically two versions sung: the version attributed to Robert Allan in a post above, with its references to MacDonald, but no mention of deer, and no mention of feasting and joy (which is basically the version Gaberlunzie, among many others, sing); and the version posted by Kendall above, which is the version The Corries sing (although Ronnie Browne sometimes sings the other version.) The Corries'/Kendall version with its mention of Argyll is clearly a Campbell song, while the other version is clearly a MacDonald song (reflecting the feud between those clans).

But then Teribus posted a version that basically contains all of the verses used in both of the other two versions, including the references to red deer and feasting (but not the DT outlier verses which seems to be a very strange anomaly); but the version Teribus posted is clearly still a MacDonald version rather than a Campbell one.

So I'm wondering what order these versions evolved in? For instance was this it:

1) Burns writes a one-verse poem.

2) After Burns dies, Robert Allan turns the poem into the chorus for a song, adds four verses and attaches a traditional melody. (As in this post).

3) Four more verses get added, making 8 verses in all (as in this post).;

4) Members of the MacDonald clan mostly don't sing the four new verses, even though they're poetically-speaking the four nicest verses in the song (which seems strange, but I can't think of a better theory) - but instead stick to the original Robert Allan verses.

5) On the other hand, members of the Campbell clan love the tune, but hate the Allan verses with their references to MacDonald, so pinch the chorus, the tune, and the four verses that had been added after Allan wrote it, dropping the four verses that Allan wrote. Thus through a quirk of fate, the Campbells end up singing the poetically more beautiful verses, although they were probably written by an anonymous MacDonald; and most MacDonalds end up singing the less poetic verses.

6) A small minority of MacDonalds continue to sing all 8 verses (hence that's the version Teribus was taught).

7) 20th century folk singers almost all sing one of the two 4-verse versions (the Campbell or MacDonald versions), not based on clan loyalty any more, but just based on which version they happened to hear, or if they've heard both, on which they preferred.


Does that seem like an accurate summary? Or can anyone suggest a more likely sequence of events?