Her songs which she had learnt from her father were transcribed by William Motherwell and published by Francis James Child.
[1] Motherwell was gathering ballads and he met several Scottish women but Lyle was his best source.
She supplied 22 songs and in some cases she gave him the tune and the words.
[2] However when she sang the lyrics of Sheath and Knife she was moved to tears.
[3] Her songs came to wider notice when Motherwell's gatherings were included in Harvard Professor Francis James Child's publication, English and Scottish Popular Ballads, 1882–98.