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As I Came in By Fisherrow / Musselburgh

[ Roud 8702 ; DT FISHEROW ; Mudcat 8335 ; trad.]

Norman Buchan and Peter Hall: The Scottish Folksinger David Herd: Ancient and Modern Scottish Songs, Heroic Ballads, etc. Ewan MacColl: Folk Songs and Ballads of Scotland

Ewan MacColl and Peggy Seeger sang As I Came in By Fisherrow in 1964 on their Folkways album Traditional Songs and Ballads, and they sang it in 1977 on their Blackthorne album of traditional and contemporary songs and ballads, Cold Snap The first album’s booklet noted:

For some reason Robert Chambers found all but the first stanza of this charming song unpresentable! In Songs of Scotland Prior to Burns he quotes the first verse and then goes on to print “The Thistle is the Healing Plant”. Apparently, Allan Ramsay too found the song a little too strong for his taste, and, consequently, wrote a new set of words O, Mither Dear. The air is Jenny Dang the Weaver and was first published in the second edition of the Orpheus Caledonius, 1733.

Learned from print: Herd [Ancient and Modern Scottish Songs, Heroic Ballads, etc.] and Scots Musical Museum.

Owen Hand sang Musselburgh on his 1966 Transatlantic album I Loved a Lass. He noted:

A young man laments the pregnancy of his girl friend and the consequences it will have for him.

Five Hand Reel sang Fisherrow in 1976 as part of the Both Sides of the Forth medley on their eponymous first album, Five Hand Reel.

Gordon McIntyre and Kate Delaney sang Fisherrow in 1981 on their Larrikin album Blackwaterside.

Cilla Fisher sang Fisher Row in 1983 on her Kettle album Songs of the Fishing.

Ossian sang Fisherrow in 1997 on their Greentrax album The Carrying Stream. They noted:

Fornication was frowned upon by the Presbyterian Church in Scotland. The practice in the 18^th century was for ‘sinners’ to publicly repent in front of the congregation whilst seated on the ‘stool of repentance’—the ‘cutty stool’ or short stool mentioned in the last verse. Sarcastic reference is also made to the fact that as in many situations there is one law for the rich and another for the poor.

Danny Spooner sang As I Came in By Fisherrow on his 2008 CD Brave Bold Boys. He noted:

[Neither] fear of the public denunciation by the kirk—such as having to mount the cuttie-stool for a number of Sundays—nor the worries of the creaking wooden (timmer) stairs, which might wake her parents, were enough to deter this ardent suitor from courting his dearie after his day’s work was over. I like the reference to the fact that had they been wealthy they could have paid their way out of the punishment. The song appears in Folksongs and Ballads of Scotland, compiled and edited by Ewan MacColl (Oak 1965), where he notes that it was first published as early as 1733.

I learned the song from Gordon Mclntyre with whom I sang with for many years.

Shona McMillan sang As I Came in By Fisherrow on the 2009 Greentrax anthology People and Songs of the Sea.

Lyrics

Ewan MacColl sings As I Came in By Fisherrow

As I came in by Fisherrow, Musselburgh was near me
I threw off my mussel-pock, courted wi’ my dearie.

Chorus:
Up stairs, doun stairs, timmer stairs fears me
I thought it lang to lie my lane when I’m sae near my dearie!

Oh had her apron bidden doun, the kirk wad ne’er hae kent it
But since the word’s gane through the toon, my dear I canna mend it

But ye maun mount the cutty-stool and I maun mount the pillar
That’s the way the poor folks dae, because they hae nae siller

Gordon McIntyre and Kate Delaney sing Fisherrow

As I came in by Fisherrow, Musselburgh was near me
I put off my mussel peok courted wi’ my dearie

Chorus:
Upstairs, doonstairs, timmer stairs fears me
Thocht it wrang tae lie my lane when I’m so near my dearie

O had your apron bidden doon then the kirk would ne’er hae kent it
But noo the news gone through the toon I fear I canna mend it

It’s ye maun mount the cutty stool and I maun hae the piller
That’s the way the poor folk dae because they hae nae siller

(repeat first verse)

Cilla Fisher sings Fisher Row

As I cam’ in by Fisher Row Mussleburgh was near me
I threw aff my mussel pok and court’d wi’ ma dearie.

Chorus:
Upstairs, doonstairs, timber stairs fear me
I thoucht it lang tae fie ma lane when I’m sae near ma dearie

O had ma apron biddin’ doon the kirk wid ne’er o’ kent it
But noo the word’s gari roon the toon I fear I canna mend it.

It’s ye maun mount the Cuttie stool an I maun mount the pillar
For that’s the way the pair folk dae Because they hae nae siller.

Danny Spooner sings As I Came in By Fisherrow

As I came in by Fisherrow, Musselburgh was near me
I put off my mussel pock, courted with my dearie

Chorus:
Up stairs, doun stairs, timmer stairs fears me
I thought it lang to lie ma lane when I’m sae near my dearie

Oh had her apron bidden doun, the kirk wad ne’er hae kent it
But since the word’s gane through the toon, my dear I canna mend it

But ye maun mount the cutty-stool and I maun mount the pillar
that’s the way the poor folks dae, because they hae nae siller

(repeat first verse)