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Tibbie Dunbar

[ Roud V29162 ; Robert Burns, Jim McLean]

Robert Burns wrote Tibble Dunbar in 1789 for Johnson’s Scots Musical Museum.

Ewan MacColl sang Tibble Dunbar in 1959 on his Folkways album Songs of Robert Burns. He noted:

Burns reported that the tune of Tibbie Dunbar was said “to be the composition of John McGill, fiddler in Girvan; who called it after his own name”. It was probably older, however, and may be of English origin. The words are Burns’s.

The Dubliners sang Tibby Dunbar on their 1968 album At It Again!. They sang it with an additional verse composed in 1966 by Jim McLean when he “was road manager for the Dubliners and worked with Scott/Soloman as a writer cum dogs body” (Mudcat).

Gill Bowman sang Sweet Tibbie Dunbar in 1994 on her Greentrax album Perfect Lover.

Davy Steele sang Tibbie Dunbar in 1997 on his Fenn album Chasing Shadows. He noted:

I have only ever seen the one verse for this song in print, I got the other verse from Luke Kelly [of the Dubliners] with whom I had the privilege of spending a long singing session one night in Hereford, Germany. He sang the song, I loved it, he wrote down the words there and then.

Ian F. Benzie sang Sweet Tibbie Dunbar in 1998 on the Linn anthology The Complete Songs of Robert Burns Volume 5.

Harem Scarem sang Tibby Dunbar in 2005 on their Vertical album The Birnam Witch Project.

Johnny Campbell sang Tibby Dunbar in 2014 on his EP Robbie Burns (Vol 1).

Lyrics

Ewan MacColl sings Tibble Dunbar

O, wilt thou go wi’ me, sweet Tibbie Dunbar?
O, wilt thou go wi’ me, sweet Tibbie Dunbar?
Wilt thou ride on a horse, or be drawn in a car,
Or walk by my side, o sweet Tibbie Dunbar?

I care na thy daddie, his lands and his money;
I care na thy kin, sae high and sae lordly;
But say that thou’lt hae me for better or waur,
And come in thy coatie, sweet Tibbie Dunbar.

Davy Steele sings Tibble Dunbar

O, wilt tha go wi’ me, sweet Tibbie Dunbar?
O, wilt tha go wi’ me, sweet Tibby Dunbar?
Weel ride on a hoarse, or be drawn in a car,
Or walk by my side, sweet Tibby Dunbar?
I care not thy daddie, his land or his money;
I care not thy kin, sae high or sae low;
Need not say that they’ll take me for better or waur,
I’ll cam tae yer chamber, sweet Tibbie Dunbar.

I offer ye naethin like siller or lan’,
Whit man could determin the price o’ yer han’.
Gie me the consent, we’ll be richer by far,
O, will ye go wi me sweet Tibbie Dunbar?
O, will ye be known as a poor beggars lady?
An sleep in the heather rowd up in a plaidie?
The sky fur a roof an yer cannle a star,
My love for a fire, sweet Tibby Dunbar.

O, wilt tha go wi’ me, sweet Tibbie Dunbar?
O, wilt tha go wi’ me, sweet Tibby Dunbar?
Weel ride on a hoarse, or be drawn in a car,
Or walk by my side, sweet Tibby Dunbar?