John Anderson, my jo, John

John Anderson, my jo, John, 
  When we were first acquent; 
Your locks were like the raven, 
  Your bonie brow was brent; 
But now your brow is beld, John, 
  Your locks are like the snow; 
But blessings on your frosty pow, 
  John Anderson, my jo. 

John Anderson, my jo, John, 
  We clamb the hill thegither; 
And mony a cantie day, John, 
  We've had wi' ane anither: 
Now we maun totter down, John, 
  But hand in hand we'll go, 
And sleep thegither at the foot, 
  John Anderson, my jo.

Authorship

by Robert Burns (1759-1796) , title unknown

Musical settings (art songs, Lieder, mélodies, (etc.), choral pieces, and other vocal works set to this text), listed by composer (not necessarily exhaustive)

by David Arditti (1964-) , "John Anderson", op. 1 no. 8, first performed 1994, from Burns Songs, no. 8.
by (Franz) Joseph Haydn (1732-1809) , "John Anderson, my jo", JHW. XXXII/5 no. 390, Hob. XXXIa no. 2bis
by (Franz) Joseph Haydn (1732-1809) , "John Anderson", JHW. XXXII/1 no. 2, Hob. XXXIa no. 2.
by Mervyn, Lord Horder, the Second Baron of Ashford (1910-1998) , "John Anderson, my jo" [voice and piano], from Five Burns Songs, no. 4.
by Henry Hugo Pierson (1816-1873) , "John Anderson", also set in German
by Dmitri Dmitriyevich Shostakovich (1906-1975) , "When we were first acquent", 1943, first performed 1944 [voice(s) and orchestra], from Eight British and American Folk Songs, no. 2.

by John Böie (1822-1900) , "John Anderson", op. 4 (Sechs Lieder) no. 4, published 1846 [voice and piano], Hamburg, Böhme
by Fredrik Pacius (1809-1891) , "John Anderson" [alto and piano]
by Henry Hugo Pierson (1816-1873) , "John Anderson, mein Lieb", also set in English
by Karl Heinrich Carsten Reinecke (1824-1910) , "John Anderson, mein Lieb", op. 10 (Sechs Lieder) no. 1 (1846) [voice and piano], note: this may be the wrong translation for this setting

by Adolf Jensen (1837-1879) , "John Anderson, mein Lieb!", op. 49 no. 5, published 1874 [voice and piano], from Sieben Lieder von Robert Burns, no. 5, Breslau, Hainauer
by Theobald Kretschmann (1850-1919) , "John Anderson", published 1880 [voice and piano], from Fünf Lieder für 1 Singstimme mit Pianofortebegleitung, no. 3, Wien, (Buchholz & Diebel Sort.)
by Henry Hugo Pierson (1816-1873) , "John Anderson, mein Lieb", op. 7 (6 Lieder) no. 4 (1842). [voice and piano]
by Robert Alexander Schumann (1810-1856) , "John Anderson", op. 67 (Romanzen und Balladen für Chor (Heft 1)) no. 5 (1849). [SATB chorus]
by Robert Alexander Schumann (1810-1856) , "John Anderson", op. 145 (Romanzen und Balladen für Chor (Heft 3)) no. 4 (1849). [SATB chorus]

by Paul Hermann Franz Graener (1872-1944) , "Hans Anderson", op. 6 (Zwei Lieder) no. 1, published 1906.

by (Friedrich) August Bungert (1845-1915) , "Die beiden Alten", op. 34 no. 6, published 1884 [vocal duet for alto and middle voice with piano], from Gestalten und Erinnerungen, no. 6, Berlin, Luckhardt

Text added to the website between May 1995 and September 2003.

Notes about green, red, and white dots

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John Anderson, mein Lieb! Wir haben uns...

John Anderson, mein Lieb! 
Wir haben uns geseh'n,
Wie rabenschwarz dein Haar, 
die Stirne glatt und schön!!
Nun Glätte nicht noch Locke 
der schönen Stirne blieb;
Doch segne Gott dien schneeig Haupt,
John Anderson, mein Lieb.

John Anderson, mein Lieb! 
Wir klommen froh bergauf,
Und manchen heitern Tag 
begrüssten wir im Lauf.
Nun abwärts Hand in hand, 
froh wie's bergauf uns trieb,
Und unten sel'ges Schlafengeh'n, 
John Anderson, mein Lieb!

Input by Dr. Gert den Hartogh

Authorship

by Wilhelm Christoph Leonhard Gerhard (1780-1858) , title unknown

a text in English by Robert Burns (1759-1796) , title unknown

Musical settings (art songs, Lieder, mélodies, (etc.), choral pieces, and other vocal works set to this text), listed by composer (not necessarily exhaustive)

by Adolf Jensen (1837-1879) , "John Anderson, mein Lieb!", op. 49 no. 5, published 1874 [voice and piano], from Sieben Lieder von Robert Burns, no. 5, Breslau, Hainauer
by Theobald Kretschmann (1850-1919) , "John Anderson", published 1880 [voice and piano], from Fünf Lieder für 1 Singstimme mit Pianofortebegleitung, no. 3, Wien, (Buchholz & Diebel Sort.)
by Henry Hugo Pierson (1816-1873) , "John Anderson, mein Lieb", op. 7 (6 Lieder) no. 4 (1842). [voice and piano]
by Robert Alexander Schumann (1810-1856) , "John Anderson", op. 67 (Romanzen und Balladen für Chor (Heft 1)) no. 5 (1849). [SATB chorus]
by Robert Alexander Schumann (1810-1856) , "John Anderson", op. 145 (Romanzen und Balladen für Chor (Heft 3)) no. 4 (1849). [SATB chorus]

DUT Dutch [singable] (Lau Kanen) , "John Anderson, mijn vriend!", copyright © 2013, (re)printed on this website with kind permission

Text added to the website: 2004-07-03.