Robin Gray (Auld). The words of this song are by lady Anne Lindsay (1750-1825), daughter of the earl of Balcarres; she was afterwards lady Barnard. The song was written in 1772 to an old Scotch tune called The Bridegroom Grat when the Sun gaed Down.

Women in History of Scots Descent, Song Writers
It was to be a tale of humble life full of sorrows; the third verse baffled her, even after the rest was done. Then, little Elizabeth, the nine-year-old, stole into the room. Said Anne, "I've been writing a ballad, my dear, and I'm oppressing my heroine with misfortunes. I've sent her Jamie to sea, broken her father's arm, made her mother fall sick, and given her old Robin Gray as a lover; but I wish to load her with a fifth sorrow in the four lines, poor thing! Help me, I pray." "Steal the cow, sister Annie", suggested Elizabeth; and forthwith the cow was stolen, and the song "Auld Robin Gray" completed.

Thus tells Lady Anne the charming story of her ballad's birth. But it was not till years and years afterwards that the world knew of it: she showed it to her mother only; members of the family copied it out. Lady Anne herself sang it (to Sophy Johnstone's tune) in her beautiful rich voice; it became famous in her own countryside and in Edinburgh. There was much curiosity, and shrewd guessing, but the exact truth was not known, or at least not owned to by the authoress, till two years before her own death. Then, it so happened that she read a passage in Sir Walter Scott's The Pirate in which he compared the condition of one of his characters to "that of Jeanie Gray, the village-heroine in Lady Anne Lindsay's beautiful ballad." Then, at last, did Lady Anne feel that she ought to declare herself, and so, taking her courage in both hands, she wrote to Sir Walter telling him the whole story of the birth of the ballad.