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Tripping On The Mountain polka

Also known as Buffalo Nickel, Chinkapin, Chinkapin Pie, Chinky Pin, Chinquapin, Chinquipin, Crumb Creek Posey, Darling Child, The Duke Of York, Farmer Had A Dog, Fourth Of July, The Fourth Of July, Hair In The Butter, I’m My Momma’s Darling, I’m My Momma’s Darling Child, Lady Bodinscoth’s, Lady Bodinscoth’s Reel, Lead Out, Lindsay Munnell Tune, Lindsay Munnell’s, Lindsay Munnell’s Tune, Love Somebody, Love Somebody, Yes I Do!, Midnight Serenade, Miss Fargiharson’s Reel, Miss Farquharson’s, Miss Farquharson’s Reel, My Love Is But A Lassie, My Love Is But A Lassie Yet, My Love She’s But A Lassie, My Love She’s But A Lassie Yet, My Lover’s But A Lady Yet, My Lover’s Butt A Lady Yett, Old Lady Tucker, Richmond Blues, Soapsuds Over The Fence, Sweet Sixteen, Ten Nights In A Bar Room, Too Young To Marry, Twin Sisters.

There are 41 recordings of a tune by this name.

A tune by this name has been recorded together with The Dashing White Sergeant (lots of times), Mickey Mor Doherty’s March (a few times), The Rose Tree (a few times), Thady Regan (a few times) and The Atholl Highlanders (a few times).

Tripping On The Mountain has been added to 6 tune sets.

Tripping On The Mountain has been added to 88 tunebooks.

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Five settings

X: 1
T: Tripping On The Mountain
R: polka
M: 2/4
L: 1/8
K: Dmaj
|: dA FA | dc d/e/f/e/ | dA FA | Be ef/e/ |
dA FA |dg fe | d/B/A/F/ A/B/d/e/ |1 fd df/e/ :|2 fd df/g/ ||
|: af ge | fd df/g/ | af g/f/g/a/ | be ef/g/ |
af ge | fd fe | d/B/A/F/ A/B/d/e/ |1 fd df/g/ :|2 fd d ||
X: 2
T: Tripping On The Mountain
R: polka
M: 2/4
L: 1/8
K: Dmaj
dD FA | dD Dd/c/ | dD FA | eE Ed/c/ |
dD FA | Bg fe | d/c/B/A/ B/c/d/e/ | fd d :|
af ge | fd df/g/ | af g/f/g/a/ | be ef/g/ |
a>f ge | f>d ec | d/c/B/A/ B/c/d/e/ | fd d :|
X: 3
T: Tripping On The Mountain
R: polka
M: 2/4
L: 1/8
K: Dmaj
|:B/c/|dDFD d(DD)B/c/|dDFD B(EE)B/c/|dDFD dgfe|(d/c/B/A/) Bc dD D:|
|:f/g/|afge f(dd)f/g/|afgf e(EE)f/g/|afge fdec|(d/c/B/A/) Bc dD ~D:|
X: 4
T: Tripping On The Mountain
R: polka
M: 2/4
L: 1/8
K: Dmaj
|:d/c/|"D"dD FA |dD Dd/c/|dD FA |"A"eE Ed/c/|
"D"dD FA |"Bm"Bg fe|"Bm"d/c/B/A/ B/c/d/e/ |"D"fd d:|
f/g/|"D"a>f g>e |fd df/g/|af g/f/g/a/ |"Em"be ef/g/|
"D"af ge |fd ec|"Bm"d/c/B/A/ B/c/d/e/ |"D"fd d:|
X: 5
T: Tripping On The Mountain
R: polka
M: 2/4
L: 1/8
K: Dmaj
|:d/c/ | dD FA | dD Dd/c/ | dD FA | eE Ed/c/ |
dD FA | Bg fe | d/c/B/A/ Bc | dD D :|
|: f/g/ | a>f g>e | fd df/g/ | af g/f/g/a/ | be ef/g/ |
af ge | fd fe | d/c/B/A/ B/c/d/e/ | fd d :|

Thirteen comments

“My Lover’s Butt a Lady Yett” ~ 1770 ~ the history bit

X: 2
T: My Lover’s Butt a Lady Yett
S: William Vickers’ music manuscript, 1770, page 22
M: 4/4
L: 1/8
R: Reel
K: Dmaj
|: (3A/B/c/ |\
dDFD dDD B/c/ | dDFD BEE B/c/ |
dDFD dgfe | d/c/B A/B/c dDD :|
|: f/g/ |\
afge fdd f/g/ | afge eEE f/g/ |
afge fdec | d/c/B/A/ Bc dDD :|

“My Love is But a Lassie Yet”

X: 3
T: My Love is But a Lassie Yet
T: Tripping On The Mountain
M: 2/4
L: 1/8
R: polka
K: Dmaj
|: d/c/ |\
dD FA | dD Dd/c/ | dD FA | eE Ed/c/ |
dD FA | Bg fe | d/c/B/A/ B/c/d/e/ | fd d :|
|: f/g/ |\
af ge | fd df/g/ | af g/f/g/a/ | be ef/g/ |
a>f ge | f>d ec | d/c/B/A/ B/c/d/e/ | fd d :|

In Scotland and the north of England this is played as a 2/4 march rather than a polka, with the emphasis very much on the downbeat, and not too fast. I learnt this one when I was at school.

Harry Bradley recorded this on his album "The Night Rambler’s Companion" associating it with John McKenna.

Version from Thompson’s Compleat Collection of Country Dances c.1770

X: 1
T: Miss Fargiharson’s Reel.
M: 2/4
L: 1/8
R: polka
K: Dmaj
|:B/c/|dDFD d(DD)B/c/|dDFD B(EE)B/c/|dDFD dgfe|(d/c/B/A/) Bc dD D:|
|:f/g/|afge f(dd)f/g/|afgf e(EE)f/g/|afge fdec|(d/c/B/A/) Bc dD ~D:|

Ceolachan’s version is the one I know

It’s an absolute standard tune for ceilidh bands / Scottish country dancing, usually played as a brisk march. The main version on this site is almost divergent enough from it to be a different tune.

Rescued Version

X:1
T:My love she’s but a lassie yet
M:2/4
L:1/8
K:D
|:d/c/|"D"dD FA |dD Dd/c/|dD FA |"A"eE Ed/c/|
"D"dD FA |"Bm"Bg fe|"Bm"d/c/B/A/ B/c/d/e/ |"D"fd d:|
f/g/|"D"a>f g>e |fd df/g/|af g/f/g/a/ |"Em"be ef/g/|
"D"af ge |fd ec|"Bm"d/c/B/A/ B/c/d/e/ |"D"fd d:|

I prefer the title with the "butt" in it.

Frank Quinn: Recorded January 1929

Frank Quinn (1893-1964) of Greagh, Drumlish, Co. Longford recorded this tune as the second polka in a set entitled "The Water Street Polka" on the fiddle in January 1929 only a few months after McKenna and Morrison recorded it in September 1928. In a comparison of versions, Quinn’s setting is very like McKenna’s/Morrison’s one. It probably was a popular tune among Irish musicians at that time in America. Quinn’s paired this polka with a tune commonly known as "Leather the Wattle O" aka "Grand Old Dame Britannia" whereas McKenna and Morrison played "Thady Regan" as their other polka.

Re: My Love She’s But A Lassie Yet

18th cent, Rob’t Burns wrote the words. I don’t know if he wrote the tune or just ‘borrowed’ it.
Sylvia Miskoe, Concord NH USA

Re: My Love She’s But A Lassie Yet

It is (almost) universally accepted that Burns did not write any music [1]. This tune can be found published in Bremner’s 1757 collection under the title "Miss Farquharson’s Reel" before the bard was born.

[1] Having said that, I have a book in which an air - "The Bonnie Banks of Ayr" - is stated to have been composed by Burns "…after dining with a few friends the day before his intended voyage to the West Indies. His heart having been always in the Highlands, I have much pleasure in placing this to his memory…"