Rigid Body Sings

by James Clerk Maxwell

Tune: Comin' Through the Rye (traditional Scottish tune)
Laura's MIDI heaven has instrumental recordings of many traditional tunes, including this one.

This is, of course, a parody of the poem "Comin' Through the Rye" by Robert Burns.

Some of Maxwell's other poems can be found here.


Maxwell, his wife Katherine, and their dog. Maxwell was well known for talking to his dog about his scientific theories.

dialect translation: "gin" = if .. "ilka" = every .. "ane" = one .. "hae" = have .. "a' " = all .. "ken" = know .. "waur" = worse

1. Gin a body meet a body
Flyin' through the air.
Gin a body hit a body,
Will it fly? And where?
Ilka impact has its measure,
Ne'er a ane hae I,
Yet a' the lads they measure me,
Or, at least, they try.

2. Gin a body meet a body
Altogether free,
How they travel afterwards
We do not always see.
Ilka problem has its method
By analytics high;
For me, I ken na ane o' them,
But what the waur am I?

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