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Dance My only Jo and Dearie, O 4865

Strathspey · 32 bars · 3 couples · Longwise - 4   (Progression: 213)

Devised by
Thomas (19C) Wilson (1816)
Intensity
444 444 880 808 = 58% (1 turn), 44% (whole dance)
Formations
Steps
  • Strathspey travel
  • Note: This list may be incomplete and/or incorrect.
Published in
Recommended Music
Extra Info
My Only Jo And Dearie, O

Thy cheek is o’ the rose’s hue,
  My only jo an’ dearie, O;
Thy neck is like the siller dew
  Upon the banks sae briery, O;
Thy teeth are o’ the ivory,
  O, sweet’s the twinkle o’ thine e’e!
Nae joy, nae pleasure blinks on me,
  My only jo an’ dearie, O.

The birdie sings upon the thorn,
  It’s sang o’ joy, fu’ cheerie, O,
Rejoicing in the simmer morn,
  Nae care to make it eerie, O;
But little kens the sangster sweet,
  Ought o’ the care I ha’e to meet,
That gars my restless bosom beat,
  My only jo an’ dearie, O.

When we were bairnies on yon brae,
  An’ youth was binking bonny, O,
Aft we wad daff the lee lang day,
  Our joys fu’ sweet an’ mony, O;
Aft I wad chase thee o’er the lea,
  An’ round about the thorny tree;
Or pu’ the wild flowers a’ for thee,
  My only jo an’ dearie, O.

I ha’e a wish I canna tine,
  ‘Mang a’ the cares that grieve me, O;
I wish that thou wert ever mine,
  An’ never mair to leave me, O;
Then I wad dawt thee night an’ day.
  Nae ither warldly care wad ha’e,
Till life’s warm stream forgat to play,
  My only jo an’ dearie, O.

Richard Gall (1776–1801), the author of this song, was born in Linkhouse near Dunbar. Apprenticed first to a carpenter at the age of eleven, then to a builder and later to an Edinburgh printer, he wrote verses in his spare time. Gall showed great promise as a vernacular poet, but unfortunately he died in his twenty-fifth year. Nine of his songs are preserved in James Johnson’s The Scots Musical Museum, among them “My Only Jo An’ Dearie, O” with the title “Thy Cheek Is O’ The Rose’s Hue”.

William Stenhouse wrote: “This beautiful song, which is another of the productions of the late Mr Richard Gall, was written at the earnest request of Mr Thomas Oliver, Printer and Publisher, Edinburgh, an intimate acquaintance of the author’s. Mr Oliver heard it sung in the Pantomime of Harlequin Highlander, at the Circus, and was so struck with the melody, that it dwelt upon his mind; but the only part of the words he recollected were,

My love’s the sweetest creature,
That ever trode the dewy green;
Her cheeks they are like roses,
Wi’ the op’ning gowan wet between –

And having no way of procuring the verses he had heard, he requested Mr Gall to write words to his favourite tune. Our young bard promised to do so; and in a few days presented him with this elegant song, in which the title of the tune is happily introduced at the close of every stanza.”

My only Jo and Dearie, O 3/4L · S32
1–
1W+2W+3W dance cclw round the men, 1W leading
9–
1M+2M+3M repeat clw, on [16] 1c+2c dance in for
17–
1c+2c Promenade (1,2,3)
25–
1c+3c Poussette (2c up on bars 1–2)
My only Jo and Dearie, O 3/4L · S32
1-8
1L followed by 2L+3L dance across, cast down behind Men & dance up own side to places
9-16
Men repeat above Fig (Bars 1- 8)
17-24
1s+2s Promenade
25-32
1s+3s dance Diamond Poussette 1s ending in 2nd place (2s step up 25-26)

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Added on: 2022-10-23 (Linda Harley)
Quality: Demonstration quality

NameDateOwnerLast changed
Budapest Local Club 27.11.2018 2018-11-27 lldikó Szakolczai Nov. 28, 2018, 8:56 a.m.
Oldenburg 2019-07-29 2019-07-29 Martin McWilliam Aug. 18, 2019, 12:52 p.m.
RSCDS Book 21 2015-09-20 Angelika Schmidkonz Sept. 20, 2015, 12:41 p.m.
Oldenburg 2020-02-03 2020-02-03 Martin McWilliam Feb. 1, 2020, 7:18 p.m.
17 10 18 Torquay 2017-10-18 Chris & Lee Pratt Sept. 22, 2017, 3:28 p.m.
A Capital Weekend Ball 2024-04-20 ellen ternes Jan. 25, 2024, 2:01 a.m.
Oberlethe 2022 Welcome 2022-04-29 Martin McWilliam Sept. 30, 2023, 9:16 a.m.
HHK Dec 11 2018 2018-12-11 Ken Saunders Dec. 7, 2018, 6:44 p.m.
Hamburg Class 2022-04-21 2022-04-21 David Quarrie April 19, 2022, 1:42 p.m.
hhk new dancer class 9 January 2024 2024-01-09 Deborah Leary Jan. 6, 2024, 7:50 p.m.
DA 2018-05-25 Chris Ronald May 21, 2018, 8:03 p.m.
2024 Potomac Valley Scottish Fiddle Club Dance Party 2024-04-06 Yvonne Yang March 19, 2024, 10:28 p.m.
DA 2018-03-23 Chris Ronald March 17, 2018, 11:52 p.m.
CGB Easter 2022 Evenings 2022-04-14 Martin McWilliam April 16, 2022, 6:14 a.m.
Burns Night 2019 Northern Virginia 2019-01-23 Ellie Briscoe Jan. 10, 2024, 10:26 p.m.
FSCDC Class 20 August 2019 2019-08-20 Anselm Lingnau Aug. 27, 2019, 8:51 a.m.
Cambridge Class February 2024 2024-02-01 Laura DeCesare Feb. 17, 2024, 8:15 p.m.
DA 2018-09-01 2018-09-01 Chris Ronald Aug. 28, 2018, 9:52 p.m.
CGB welcome in Bartholomä 2019-08-30 Martin McWilliam July 18, 2019, 3:45 p.m.
20170626 - Unit 5 teaching 2017-06-26 Zsofia Jozsef July 19, 2017, 11:55 p.m.
Pinewoods 2024 Session 1 2024-07-05 Marc Hartstein March 3, 2024, 6:35 p.m.
November Course 2018 - Kuckucksnest 2018-11-23 Martina Mueller-Franz Nov. 24, 2018, 4:59 p.m.
Pinewoods 2015 Scottish Session II 2015-07-13 Sue Ronald April 6, 2015, 1:45 a.m.
Unit 5 Dance Assignment Bank Lydia Hedge Feb. 23, 2024, 8:17 p.m.
Unit 5 - Assignment Bank 2020 2020-03-01 Atsuko Clement Nov. 14, 2019, 2:55 p.m.
Unit 5 Dances Charles Liu March 4, 2015, 2:18 a.m.
Exam list 2018-09-15 Atsuko Clement May 19, 2023, 3:32 a.m.
Unit 5 dance assignment bank December 2017 Sue Ronald April 27, 2018, 6:55 p.m.

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