The Mudcat Café TM
Thread #21476   Message #2571487
Posted By: Malcolm Douglas
19-Feb-09 - 11:34 PM
Thread Name: Origins: My Bonnie Lies over the Ocean
Subject: RE: Origins: My Bonnie Lies Over The Ocean
Thanks, Austin. With the accompanying comments missing I was entirely baffled by the song's appearance in this discussion. It's a new one on me, though I'm familiar enough with the others you mention. Where did you get those words? Do you mean that you've heard them sung to a 'Dick Derby' tune?

'Have You Heard' can be found online in several places nowadays, but I don't think that The Vocal Miscellany itself is available, is it? The song was in the ballad-opera Jovial Crew (1731) set to the 18th century tune of 'My Name Is Old Hewson the Cobler', but that bears no particular resemblance to 'Barney' or 'Bonnie'.

See the late Bruce Olson's comments in thread  Lyrics Needed: Song about a Tinker for more on early appearances of text and tune. That's 'Hewson', though, not 'Bonnie'.