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by Robert Burns (1759 - 1796)

O steer her up
 (Sung text for setting by F. Scott)
 Matches original text
Language: Scottish (Scots) 
O steer her up, an' haud her gaun -- 
Her mither's at the mill, jo; 
An' gin she winna tak a man, 
E'en let her tak her will, jo. 
First shore her wi' a gentle kiss, 
And ca' anither gill, jo, 
An' gin she tak the thing amiss, 
E'en let her flyte her fill, jo. 

O steer her up, an' be na blate, 
An' gin she tak it ill , jo, 
Then leave the lassie till her fate, 
And time nae langer spill, jo! 
Ne'er break your heart for ae rebute, 
But think upon it still, jo, 
That gin the lassie winna do't, 
Ye'll find anither will, jo. 

See also Allan Ramsay's O steer her up, and had her gawin.

Glossary
jo = friend
shore = threaten
flyte = scold
blate = shy
spill = waste

Composition:

    Set to music by Francis George Scott (1880 - 1958), "O steer her up", published 1949 [ voice and piano ], from 35 Scottish Lyrics and other Poems, no. 18, Bayley & Ferguson for The Saltire Society, Glasgow, page 78

Text Authorship:

  • by Robert Burns (1759 - 1796), "Steer her up", appears in Scots Musical Museum, Edinburgh, Johnson & Co, first published 1803

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Researcher for this page: Iain Sneddon [Guest Editor]

This text was added to the website: 2019-06-16
Line count: 16
Word count: 107

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