happy? - Aug 6 (Dainty Davie)

Subject: happy? - Aug 6 (Dainty Davie)
From: Abby Sale
Date: 06 Aug 05 - 09:44 AM

6th August 1706: Death of Covenenter and Rev. David Williamson. He was the supposed subject of the song "Dainty Davie." Sharpe says Williamson had three testicles. That explains something. JC Dick says that "Dainty Davie" refers to a different Williamson & that Reverand David got his sobriquet from the song, not the song from him; he was not (as Burns wrote) the subject.

[Per The Songs of Robert Burns and Notes on Scottish Songs by Robert Burns by James C Dick; 1903]

Copyright © 2005, Abby Sale - all rights reserved
What are Happy's all about? See Clicky

Subject: RE: happy? - Aug 6 (Dainty Davie)
From: Emma B
Date: 06 Aug 05 - 10:45 AM

David Herd "The Ancient and Modern Scots Songs Heroic Ballads etc" pub 1776 says......
"The following song was made upon Mess David Williamson on his getting with child the Lady Cherrytree's daughter, while the soldiers were searching the house to apprehend him for a rebel"
......unfortunately he fails to mention any physical abnormalities....

It was in and through the windows broads
And all the tirliewirlies* o'd;
The sweetest kiss that e'er I got
Was from my Dainty Davie

* ain't that a wonderful word?

Subject: RE: happy? - Aug 6 (Dainty Davie)
From: SINSULL
Date: 06 Aug 05 - 11:31 AM

But just how curly was his pow? Spaw has been trying to figure that one out for years.
AH leeze me on your curly pow
Dainty Davey, Dainty Davey

Subject: RE: happy? - Aug 6 (Dainty Davie)
From: Abby Sale
Date: 06 Aug 05 - 11:54 AM

On a scale of 1 to 10: very.

Subject: RE: happy? - Aug 6 (Dainty Davie)
From: SINSULL
Date: 23 Jan 09 - 04:23 PM

Refresh

Subject: RE: happy? - Aug 6 (Dainty Davie)
From: catspaw49
Date: 23 Jan 09 - 05:03 PM

You're a preeevert...........


Spaw

Subject: RE: happy? - Aug 6 (Dainty Davie)
From: GUEST,leeneia
Date: 23 Jan 09 - 10:01 PM

Seventy-six years after Davey's death, David Herd wrote of him 'getting with child the Lady Cherrytree's daughter, while the soldiers were searching the house to apprehend him...'

Now there's a cold-blooded lover for you! Soldiers prepared to break his legs or fracture his skull are rampaging through the house, and he's still able to get it up.

Right!

The true story is that David Williamson, small, graceful and curly of hair, was running for his life. He went through a window which turned out to belong to a laird's daughter. She looked upon his form, saw that it was good, and hid him from the soldiers. What nice girl wouldn't?


'Broads' instead of 'boards' is an interesting example of the slippery nature of the letter r in the English language.

Subject: RE: happy? - Aug 6 (Dainty Davie)
From: Ythanside
Date: 23 Jan 09 - 10:18 PM

Cold-blooded?

Jeez, Leeneia, you're one hard broad to please, aintcha? ;-D

Subject: RE: happy? - Aug 6 (Dainty Davie)
From: GUEST,Pedant
Date: 24 Jan 09 - 06:57 AM

Just remember that the version quoted above is not by Burns.

Subject: RE: happy? - Aug 6 (Dainty Davie)
From: GUEST,Re : Curly Pow & Storyline
Date: 07 Sep 09 - 07:34 AM

From : - The Scottish Folksinger by Norman Buchan and Peter Hall.
Published in 1973 ISBN 0 00 411115 x (copyright hopefully fulfilled)

Song page 61 : Notes page 157

leeze me on, I love (literally, blessings on)

pow, head.


My take on this is "blessings on your curly head"

Book Storyline page 154: Herd's ms. The story goes that when Mass (Rev.) Williamson was being pursued by the Dragoons for his adherence to the Solemn League and Covenant he was hidden by Lady Cherrytrees in her daughter's bed. He escaped - but left the daughter pregnant. There is a bawdy version in 'The Merry Muses', which Hecht believes was written by Burns himself on the basis of the version given here.

Subject: RE: happy? - Aug 6 (Dainty Davie)
From: Jack Campin
Date: 07 Sep 09 - 08:30 AM

A bit more about the Rev Williamson on my website, part of the "Embro, Embro" cd-rom I uploaded a few days ago:

songs about the Kirk in Edinburgh