Lyr Req: Gin I Were a Baron's Heir?

Subject: Lyr: Gin I were a Baron's heir
From: Bill (Scotland)
Date: 27 Mar 98 - 10:30 AM

Can anyone help me with finding the lyrics to this old Scots song "Gin I were a baron's heir". It may also be an old fiddle tune.

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Messages from multiple threads combined.
-Joe Offer-

Subject: RE: Lyr: Gin I were a Baron's heir
From: judy
Date: 27 Mar 98 - 10:44 AM

Dougie MacClean does it on one of his albumns. I probably have it in a book somewhere. Will look for it later if I have the time or if no one else pops up with it.

enjoy!
judy

Subject: Lyrics: Gin I Were a Baron's Heir?
From: Lisa
Date: 17 Jul 98 - 01:22 AM

Does anyone have the full lyrics for this Jean Redpath song? (Gin I Were a Baron's Heir)

It starts:

O gin I were a baron's heir, and could I dress with gems your hair . . .

Thanks for your help!

Lisa.

Subject: Lyr Add: OH, GIN I WERE A BARON'S HEIR
From: Murray on Saltspring
Date: 19 Jul 98 - 05:27 PM

^^OH, GIN I WERE A BARON'S HEIR

This text from Whitelaw, Book of Scottish Song (1844), titled "Lassie, would ye lo'e me". [Music by J. W. Holder, and words by Wm. Holder, according to another source]

Oh, gin I were a baron's heir,
And could I braid wi' gems your hair,
And make ye braw as ye are fair,
Lassie, would ye lo'e me?

And could I tak' ye to the town,
And shaw ye braw sights many a ane,
And busk ye fine in silken gown,
Lassie, would ye lo'e me?

Or should ye be content to prove,
In lowly life unfading love.
A heart that nought on earth could move,
Lassie, would ye lo'e me?

Nd ere the lav'rock wing the skie,
Say, would ye to the forest hie,
And work wi' me sae merrilie,
Lassie, would ye lo'e me?

And when the braw moon glistens o'er,
Our wee bit bield and heathery muir,
Will ye na greet for ye're sae puir,
Lassie, though I lo'e ye?

For I ha'e nought to offer ye,
Nae gowg frae mine, nae pearl frae sea,
Nor am I come o' hie degree,
Lassie, but I lo'e ye.

It's a good old song, and bears comparison with "Lassie wi the Yellow Coatie" by James Duff.

Subject: Chords: Gin I Were A Barons Heir
From: Mikey joe
Date: 01 Aug 02 - 07:24 AM

Hi

Following my recent and successful search for the chords to Turning Away for which I thank you all. I am now on the prowl for the chords to Gin I Were A Barons Heir. Well probably more specifically the tuning that Dougie MacLean uses or ideally the tablature for this. Thanks for your help

Mj

Subject: RE: Chords: Gin I Were A Barons Heir
From: Sorcha
Date: 01 Aug 02 - 11:30 AM

There is a Dougie tuning here, and a MIDI file here but I didn't find any chords. Sorry.

Subject: RE: Chords: Gin I Were A Barons Heir
From: GUEST,Mikey joe
Date: 02 Aug 02 - 04:54 AM

Thanks Scorcha

Its all good

Mj

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Gin I Were a Baron's Heir?
From: John in Brisbane
Date: 16 Feb 03 - 09:12 PM

I presume that someone has extracted the MIDI from Lesley N by now, but I have the score.

Regards, John

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Gin I Were a Baron's Heir?
From: Bearheart
Date: 27 Mar 08 - 04:10 PM

So it's not a Robbie Burns tune? Where did I get the idea it was? I've been misrepresenting it all these years!

Anyone know anything about the composers? (Wm Holder/J.W. Holder)

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Gin I Were a Baron's Heir?
From: michaelr
Date: 27 Mar 08 - 06:40 PM

Eddi Reader leads off her new CD "Peacetime" with this and calls it traditional. Her notes say: "Google tells me the tune originated in 1893".

Cheers,
Michael

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Gin I Were a Baron's Heir?
From: Little Robyn
Date: 27 Mar 08 - 09:42 PM

John Sutherland sang it at our wedding in 1984.
Lovely.
Robyn

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Gin I Were a Baron's Heir?
From: Bearheart
Date: 28 Mar 08 - 12:57 PM

Murray on Saltspring says in his previous post that J.W. Holder was the composer and William Holder wrote the words.
I was able to find this reference to the composer on line (didn't copy the entry in its entirety):

British Musical Biography: A dictionary of musical artists,etc by James Duff Brown, Stephen Samuel Stratton 1897

Holder, Joseph William organist and composer born in Clerkenwell, London 1764. A chorister in the Chapel Royal, etc etc . Died in 1832
Collection of catches, canons and glees, op. 6 1787 collection of songs, duets and glees 1800 … Lassie would ye love me Scots song.

I haven't been able to find out more about him, all the references I have found list the words as Anon or Trad.

There was a Rev. William Holder listed in the same Biography but he predated JW (born in 1616).

Anyone able to fill out this information? I don't have access to Whitelaw, Book of Scottish Song (1844), but it sounds to me like Murray's source was someone else anyway.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Gin I Were a Baron's Heir?
From: GUEST,Adelaide
Date: 31 Mar 08 - 01:59 PM

My copy of Scots Minstrelsie (ed. Greig), 1893, has similar words; the piece is listed as "Popular Lyric" and "Air by William Holder, Mus. Bac., 1765-1832."

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Gin I Were a Baron's Heir?
From: Malcolm Douglas
Date: 31 Mar 08 - 03:26 PM

Whitelaw just says: 'Music by J W Holder'.

The edition of 1866 can be seen in various formats at The Internet Archive:

The Book of Scottish Song

Subject: Joseph William Holder componist
From: GUEST
Date: 07 Mar 10 - 04:26 PM

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Gin I Were a Baron's Heir?
From: Tootler
Date: 07 Mar 10 - 05:08 PM

101 Scottish Songs Ed. Norman Buchan (1962) says "Tune by J W Holder"

It also gives these chords for those who like these things.

      G     Em   Bm        G7
  Oh, gin I were a baron's heir,
      C       G         A7        D7
  And could I braid wi' gems your hair,
      G    Em         Bm     G7
  And make ye braw as ye are fair,
  C       G      D7   G
  Lassie, wad ye lo'e me?
      Bm      Em      Bm      G7
  And could I tak' ye tae the toon,
      C       G           A7   G7
  And shaw ye braw sights many an ane,
      G       Em      Bm     G7
  And busk ye fine in silken goon,
  C       G        D7   G
  Lassie, would ye lo'e me?
  
  Or should ye be content to prove,
  In lowly life unfading love.
  A heart that nought on earth could move,
  Lassie, would ye lo'e me?
  And ere the lav'rock wing the skie,
  Say, would ye tae the forest hie,
  And work wi' me sae merrily,
  Lassie, would ye lo'e me?
  
  And when the braw moon glistens o'er,
  Our wee bit bield and heathery muir,
  Will ye no greet for ye're sae puir,
  Lassie, for I lo'e ye?
  For I ha'e naught tae offer ye,
  Nae gowd frae mine, nae pearl frae sea,
  Nor am I come o' high degree,
  Lassie, but I love ye!
  

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Gin I Were a Baron's Heir?
From: GUEST,Craig D
Date: 26 Feb 17 - 07:59 AM

The Scottish Poetry Library shows two instances of 'laverock' or 'lavrock' in Burns' poems, and neither is this. Not Burns.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Gin I Were a Baron's Heir?
From: leeneia
Date: 26 Feb 17 - 05:56 PM

It has a pretty tune. I found it at the abc notation site under "O Gin I were a Baron's Heir". The O seems to be essential.

See if this works:

http://abcnotation.com/tunePage?a=tunearch.org/wiki/O_Gin_I_were_a_Baron%27s_Heir.no-ext/0001

It's quite high. Unless you are boy soprano, you will probably have to change the key.

In the lyrics above,

Nd should be And,
gowg should be gowd and
nought should be naught.