A Red, Red Rose may have been inspired by the concept of deep time put forward a few years earlier by geologist James Hutton in his "Theory of the Earth" in 1789 . Hutton and Burns were contemporaries, and would have mixed in similar circles in Edinburgh. A Red, Red Rose "A Red, Red Rose" is a 1794 song in Scots by Robert Burns based on traditional sources. The song is also referred to by the title "Oh, My Love is Like a Red, Red Rose", "My Love is Like a Red, Red Rose" or "Red, Red Rose" and is often published as a
Ah! May the Red Rose Live Alway (song) May the Red Rose Live Alway!" is similar to Irish musician Thomas Moore"s "The Last Rose of Summer". The song begins with a piano introduction. The first vocal line of "Ah! May the Red Rose Live Alway!" begins on a high note that is held with a fermata. Music historians have postulated that this may give the setting an image of stalling the passage of time. Foster has placed additional fermatas throughout the song, possibly with similar effects in mind. Also of interest is Foster's use of the marking ad lib in several places in the song. This flexibility allotted