Cock Up Your Beaver
written in 1792
Cock Up Your Beaver - meaning Summary
Boastful Readiness for Adventure
This short, jaunty song celebrates a young man’s change in status and playful bravado. The speaker contrasts Johnie’s earlier humble bonnet with his new hat and feather, urging him to “cock up your beaver” — to tilt his hat and display confidence. The repeated refrain turns personal adornment into preparation for action: a border excursion promising to correct others’ behavior. The poem mixes self-fashioning, camaraderie, and mock-military swagger, using upbeat rhythm and repetition to convey a convivial, teasing mood rather than literal violence.
Read Complete AnalysesWhen first my brave Johnie lad came to this town, He had a blue bonnet that wanted the crown, But now he has gotten a hat and a feather - Hey, brave Johnie lad, cock up your beaver! Cock up your beaver, and cock it fu' sprush! We'll over the border and gie them a brush: There's somebody there we'll teach better behavior - Hey, brave Johnie lad, cock up your beaver!
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