Grace Anderson with others.                         SA1971.220.8 

We know nothing about this song that Grace enjoyed singing so often, other than that it also featured in the repertory of the   MacCalmans folk group.  We’d welcome further information. ‘Coo-canny’ is a dialect form of ‘Cockenzie’ – the name of a tiny drying harbour on the south side of the Firth of Forth near Aberlady, and until recently it was overshadowed by a huge coal-fired power station.   Roud index no. 25911.

One verse which Grace did not sing has been added below her text.

The blue Forth lies before us lads, the wind blaws fair and free;
The boat rides ower the crested wave, as if at hame wid be;
And noo the moon ower Gullane Head,  it lights up the bank and brae
And the rising sun, like a golden band round Aberlady Bay.

Then a cheer for the bonnie, bonnie boat,
That rides ower the calm and the storm sae weel;
It’s a cheer for the lad that catches the fish
And the lass wha carries the creel.

Coo-canny wives wi’ mutches white and goons o’ wincey fine;
Coo-canny maids wi’ rosy cheeks and lips like ruby wine;
They’ll meet us at the pier my lads for weel they ken the day
When the boat will ride o’er the dancing tide to Aberlady Bay.

Then a cheer for the bonnie, bonnie boat,
That rides o’er the calm and the storm sae weel;
It’s a cheer for the the lad that catches the fish
And the lass that carries the creel.

—————-

[There’s music in the seagull’s cry and the roar of the driving gale
There’s music in the saut sea breeze blowing the bended sail;
But sweeter far the lichts o’ hame shining in the morning grey
When the boat speeds fast on the off-shore blast round Aberlady Bay.]