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Wee Willie Gray, and his leather wallet, Peel a willow wand to be him boots and jacket; The rose upon the breir will be him trews an' doublet, The rose upon the breir will be him trews an' doublet, Wee Willie Gray, and his leather wallet, Twice a lily-flower will be him sark and cravat; Feathers of a flee wad feather up his bonnet, Feathers of a flee wad feather up his bonnet.
This is a song by Robert Burns. It is read here by Vivien Heilbron.
Lisa HarrisonBurns did not show much interest toward popular children's verse, but the Wee Willie Gray fragment is a variation to the tune of a nursery-song called 'Wee Totum Fogg':
Wee Totum Fogg
Sits upon a creepie;
Half an ell o' gray
Wad be his coat and breekieThe original verse depicts the homely figure of Totum Fogg, sitting on a low stool (creepie) with a length of cheap cloth for his clothing; Burns' version clothes Willie Grey almost in a faerie guise, with the provisions of nature - willow, rose, lily-flower, and feathers.
As the lyrics are in fragment, not much is known of Burns' intention for them, but they present an easy-going, lively snapshot.
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