"Comin' Thro' the Rye" is a poem written in 1782 by
Robert Burns
Robert Burns (25 January 175921 July 1796), also known familiarly as Rabbie Burns, was a Scottish poet and lyricist. He is widely regarded as the national poet of Scotland and is celebrated worldwide. He is the best known of the poets who hav ...
(1759–1796). The words are put to the melody of the Scottish Minstrel "Common' Frae The Town". This is a variant of the tune to which "
Auld Lang Syne" is usually sung—the melodic shape is almost identical, the difference lying in the tempo and rhythm.
Origin and meaning
G. W. Napier, in an 1876 ''
Notes and Queries
''Notes and Queries'', also styled ''Notes & Queries'', is a long-running quarterly scholarly journal that publishes short articles related to " English language and literature, lexicography, history, and scholarly antiquarianism".From the inne ...
'', wrote:
The protagonist, "Jenny", is not further identified, but there has been reference to a "Jenny from Dalry" and a longstanding legend in the
Drakemyre suburb of the town of
Dalry, North Ayrshire
Dalry () is a small town in the Garnock Valley in Ayrshire, Scotland. Drakemyre, North Ayrshire, Drakemyre is a northern suburb.
History
Dalry (from gd, Dail Ruighe, 'the haugh at the slope') is a small settlement on the Rye Burn. Its history ...
, holds that "comin thro' the rye" describes crossing a
ford
Ford commonly refers to:
* Ford Motor Company, an automobile manufacturer founded by Henry Ford
* Ford (crossing), a shallow crossing on a river
Ford may also refer to:
Ford Motor Company
* Henry Ford, founder of the Ford Motor Company
* Ford F ...
through the
Rye Water at Drakemyre to the north of the town, downstream from Ryefield House and not far from the confluence of the Rye with the River Garnock.
When this story appeared in the ''
Glasgow Herald
''The Herald'' is a Scottish broadsheet newspaper founded in 1783. ''The Herald'' is the longest running national newspaper in the world and is the eighth oldest daily paper in the world. The title was simplified from ''The Glasgow Herald'' in ...
'' in 1867, it was soon disputed with the assertion that everyone understood the rye to be a field of
rye, wet with
dew
Dew is water in the form of droplets that appears on thin, exposed objects in the morning or evening due to condensation.
As the exposed surface cools by radiating its heat, atmospheric moisture condenses at a rate greater than that at wh ...
, which also fits better with other stanzas that substitute "wheat" and "grain" for "rye".
An alternative suggestion is that "the rye" was a long narrow
cobblestone-paved lane, prone to puddles of water.
While the original poem is already full of sexual imagery, an alternative version makes this more explicit. It has a different chorus, referring to a phallic "staun o' staunin' graith" (roughly "an erection of astonishing size"), "kiss" is replaced by "
fuck", and Jenny's "thing" in stanza four is identified as her "
cunt".
Burns' lyrics
*weet – wet
*draigl't – draggled
*gin – given, in the sense of "if"
*cry – call out
or help*warl – world
*ken – know
*ain – own
Lyrics usually sung ("Ilka lassie")
Even the "cleaner" version of the Burns lyrics is quite bawdy, and it is this one, or an "Anglized" version of it, that is most commonly "covered".
''The Catcher in the Rye''
The title of the novel ''
The Catcher in the Rye
''The Catcher in the Rye'' is an American novel by J. D. Salinger that was partially published in serial form from 1945–46 before being novelized in 1951. Originally intended for adults, it is often read by adolescents for its themes of angs ...
'' (1951) by J. D. Salinger comes from the poem's name. Holden Caulfield, the protagonist, misremembers the line of the poem as "if a body catch a body" rather than "if a body meet a body". He keeps picturing children playing in a field of rye near the edge of a cliff, and himself catching them when they start to fall off.
Cover versions
*The first recording of this song was made in 1906 by
Ruth Vincent.
*The song was sung by
Marcella Sembrich
Prakseda Marcelina Kochańska (February 15, 1858 – January 11, 1935), known professionally as Marcella Sembrich, was a Polish coloratura soprano. She is known for her extensive range of two and a half octaves, precise intonation, charm, port ...
in 1912.
*The song was covered by
Marian Anderson
Marian Anderson (February 27, 1897April 8, 1993) was an American contralto. She performed a wide range of music, from opera to spirituals. Anderson performed with renowned orchestras in major concert and recital venues throughout the United ...
in 1944
*The song was covered by
Bill Haley & His Comets in 1956 as "Rockin' Through The Rye". Bill Haley had updated the lyrics to a more 1950's hip slang (included the lyrics, "All the lassies rock with me when rockin' through the rye"). In Sept 1956, when the record was climbing the UK charts, the single was banned by the
BBC #REDIRECT BBC #REDIRECT BBC
Here i going to introduce about the best teacher of my life b BALAJI sir. He is the precious gift that I got befor 2yrs . How has helped and thought all the concept and made my success in the 10th board exam. ...
...
from its playlist because they felt the song went against traditional British standards. Nevertheless, the record peaked at No. 3 on the UK chart.
*The song is covered by
in 2020.
'' , "Written for this Work by Robert Burns", printed between 1787 and 1803. Published online by
. JPEG, PDF, XML versions.