O,
Jenny's a' weet, poor body, Jenny's seldom dry:
She draigl't a' her petticoatie, Comin thro' the rye!
Comin thro' the rye, poor body, Comin thro' the rye,
She draigl't a' her petticoatie, Comin thro' the rye!
Gin a body meet a body Comin thro' the rye,
Gin a body kiss a body, Need a body cry?
Gin a body meet a body Comin thro' the glen,
Gin a body kiss a body, Need the warl' ken?
Gin a body meet a body Comin thro' the grain;
Gin a body kiss a body, The thing's a body's ain.
Most people only know of this through the work of J d salinger but several variants on the verses of this piece are in existance, including the following which were added later by Burns for theatrical purposes.
Gin a body kiss a
Comin' thro' the
Need a body grudge a
What's a body's
Every lassie has her
Nane, they say, ha'e Iyet a' the lads they smile at
When comin' thro' the
Amang the train, there is a swainI dearly lo'e mysel'But whaur his hame, or what his nameI dinna care to
Scots of Burns era would
OT drink
Burns writes about kissing somone coming through the rye - that would make them both wet if it was a
The last verse talks of
From this it is obvious that rye refers to a crop and not a body of water!
GH
NI
Ya' weet .................................. all wetdraigl't a' her petticoatie .... dragged her
Gin a body ...........................
If somebodyeedn the warl' ken? ................... need the whole world know?
The thing's a body's ain ..... it's nobody else's business