JOHN Anderson my jo, John,
When we were first acquent,
Your locks were like the raven,
Your bonie brow was brent;
But now your brow is beld, John,
Your locks are like the snaw,
But blessings on your frosty pow,
John Anderson my jo!John Anderson my jo, John,
We clamb the hill thegither,
And monie a cantie day, John,
We’ve had wi’ ane anither;
Now we maun totter down, John.
And hand in hand we’ll go,
And sleep thegither at the foot,
John Anderson my jo!jo: sweetheart; brent: straight;pow: head; maun: must;
Grateful thanks to Jeremy Boot for the text of the poem and the audio file by Victoria Stalker who sings delightfully this version of the Burns Song (RealAudio File)
This song appeared first in 1790 and is seen again in 1799. Although Burns claimed it as his own, he based it on a bawdy monologue in which a wife laments her husband's lack of "energy." You can play this RealAudio file by clicking here. You can download a free version of RealAudio at www.realaudio.com.
