My Love's in Germany
Encyclopedia
"My Love’s in Germany" (My Luve's in Germanie) is a poem
written by Scottish
poet
Hector Macneill
. It was first printed in 1794 and is the lament of a Scottish woman for her lover.
The song was re-published in 1885 by Colonel David Balfour as an Orkney melody composed by Colonel Thomas Traill around 1630. Traill, who was from Holland and had been living in Papa Westray
, was a soldier in the army of Gustavus Adolphus
, also known as Germany Thomas, during the Thirty Years' War
.
The tune was later used by Robert Burns
for his song Ye Jacobites by Name
.
Poetry
Poetry is a form of literary art in which language is used for its aesthetic and evocative qualities in addition to, or in lieu of, its apparent meaning...
written by Scottish
Scottish people
The Scottish people , or Scots, are a nation and ethnic group native to Scotland. Historically they emerged from an amalgamation of the Picts and Gaels, incorporating neighbouring Britons to the south as well as invading Germanic peoples such as the Anglo-Saxons and the Norse.In modern use,...
poet
Poet
A poet is a person who writes poetry. A poet's work can be literal, meaning that his work is derived from a specific event, or metaphorical, meaning that his work can take on many meanings and forms. Poets have existed since antiquity, in nearly all languages, and have produced works that vary...
Hector Macneill
Hector Macneill
Hector Macneill was a Scottish poet born near Roslin, Midlothian, Scotland. Macneill had been the son of a poor army captain and went to work as a clerk in 1760 at the age of fourteen...
. It was first printed in 1794 and is the lament of a Scottish woman for her lover.
The song was re-published in 1885 by Colonel David Balfour as an Orkney melody composed by Colonel Thomas Traill around 1630. Traill, who was from Holland and had been living in Papa Westray
Papa Westray
Papa Westray, also known as Papay, is one of the Orkney Islands in Scotland, with a population of 65 at the time of the 2001 Census, now increased to 70 people...
, was a soldier in the army of Gustavus Adolphus
Gustavus Adolphus of Sweden
Gustav II Adolf has been widely known in English by his Latinized name Gustavus Adolphus Magnus and variously in historical writings also as Gustavus, or Gustavus the Great, or Gustav Adolph the Great,...
, also known as Germany Thomas, during the Thirty Years' War
Thirty Years' War
The Thirty Years' War was fought primarily in what is now Germany, and at various points involved most countries in Europe. It was one of the most destructive conflicts in European history....
.
The tune was later used by Robert Burns
Robert Burns
Robert Burns was a Scottish poet and a lyricist. He is widely regarded as the national poet of Scotland, and is celebrated worldwide...
for his song Ye Jacobites by Name
Ye Jacobites by Name
Ye Jacobites by Name is a traditional Scottish folk song which goes back to the Jacobite Risings in Scotland . While the original version simply attacked the Jacobites from a contemporaneous Whig point of view, Robert Burns rewrote it in around 1791 to give a version with a more general, humanist...
.
Recordings
- Four to the BarFour to the BarFour to the Bar was an Irish band in New York City during the early to mid 1990s.From its beginnings as one more hard-drinking pub band from the boroughs, it ventured into a neotraditional fusion of pop, rock, and Irish and American folk....
on their live album Craic on the RoadCraic on the Road (album)Craic on the Road: Live at Sam Maguire's was the first full-length album by Four to the Bar, released in 1994.- Track listing :#I'll Tell Me Ma #Waxie's Dargle/The Rare Old Mountain Dew #My Love's in Germany...
. - Silly WizardSilly WizardSilly Wizard was a Scottish folk band that began forming in Edinburgh in 1970. The founder members were two like-minded university students—Gordon Jones and Bob Thomas...
on their debut album Silly Wizard. - Tannahill Weavers on their first album Are ye sleaping Maggie
- MacReel on their first album Step it out