Anne MacVicar Grant, a Scottish poet renowned for her poem "Oh, Where, Tell Me Where?", which serves as the lyrics for the song "The Bluebells of Scotland," was born on February 21, 1755, in Glasgow, Scotland. She passed away on November 7, 1838, in Edinburgh, Scotland.

Grant was the daughter of a British army officer, who, while stationed in America, brought her to the United States in 1757. She spent her formative years in Albany, New York, before returning to Scotland at the age of 13. In 1779, she married Rev. James Grant, a Scottish minister who served as chaplain at Fort Augustus and was later appointed minister at Laggan in Inverness-shire. Following her husband's death in 1801, and while pregnant with their youngest child, Grant found herself in financial distress, having to care for their eight surviving children. To support her family, she began to publish her poetry and writings, many of which she had composed over the years. Her literary efforts culminated in the publication of three volumes titled "Letters from the Mountains," which saw multiple editions. Additionally, she authored "Memoirs of an American Lady" and other prose works. The government granted her a pension, allowing her to live comfortably in Edinburgh, surrounded by friends in her later years.

The poem "Oh, Where, Tell Me Where?" was composed in 1799 to bid farewell to the Marquis of Huntly and his regiment as they departed for Holland. Over time, the original lyrics have been adapted for the song, and the title has varied, being known as "The New Highland Lad," "O Where, Tell Me Where," and "The Bells of Scotland." While the source of the lyrics is well-established, there is ongoing debate regarding the melody's origins. The song first appeared in "The North Country Chorister," published in 1802 by Ritson, under the title "The New Highland Lad." It achieved wider recognition through a performer known as 'Mrs. Jordan,' who was actually Dorothea Bland, born near Waterford in 1762. She is particularly remembered for her rendition of "Blue Bells of Scotland" at Drury Lane around 1800, which she claimed was her own composition. The 1853 edition of "The Scots Musical Museum" mentions that the lyrics were set to a 'modern' Scottish air but does not specify which one, nor how it relates to either Ritson's or Mrs. Jordan's melody. Another account of the melody's history involves George Thomson, born in 1757, who directed the first Edinburgh Music Festival. A passionate violinist and enthusiast of Scottish music, he was dissatisfied with some of Scotland's traditional melodies. In 1799, he forwarded various Scottish airs, including "Blue Bells of Scotland," to Joseph Haydn, who arranged around 200 of them.