>If it's only 4 stanzas could you post it for us please?

Gladly, Steve. The author is identified as Sir Robert Murray Keith, 1732-1795. According to the author of the annotation (William Stenhouse, I think), it was written in 1752, when Keith was an officer in a regiment of foot raised in Scotland for the Dutch service, and was published in "a collection entitled " The Caledoniad," London, 1775, 3 vols. 12mo; which contains several other poems by the same hand, and written about the same time." I'm sure the parody would only work for people who knew the ballad intimately – I wonder if BA was a favourite in the officers' mess. Anyway here it is, as given in the 1839 annotated SMM:


A Paraphrase of the first four verses of Barbara Allan ; made on Lord D[ouglas]'s regiment receiving orders to march from Maestrecht to Sas van Ghent, in Dutch Flanders. By Sir R—t M—y K—h.

It fell about the month of June,
Or in the month of July,
That Jan de Back,* in the Low Countrie,
Did use us very cruelly.

A letter by the post he sent
With news that was right dreary,
That we must march to Sas van Ghent,
Of which we'll soon be weary.

Rise up, Rise up, young men," he said,
" 'Tis time that ye were stepping ;
" Of the bad air be not afraid,
" Take aye the t'other chappin.

" For dinna ye mind as well as me,
" Breda, where ye were lying ;
" The lads that drank came off Scot free,
" When the sober folk lay dying ?"

* Secretary at War.