The Deil's Awa Wi' the Exciseman
written in 1792
The Deil's Awa Wi' the Exciseman - fact Summary
Protests Excise Collectors in Song
Written in 1792 as a song, Robert Burns’ "The Deil's awa wi' the Exciseman" mock-celebrates the devil leading away an excise officer. The repeated chorus frames the moment as communal relief: villagers imagine brewing, dancing, and giving thanks to the ‘‘meikle black deil’’ for removing a hated tax collector. The poem reflects Burns’ well-documented hostility to excisemen, who enforced duties on goods like spirits, and uses festive vernacular and refrain to turn a political grievance into popular, satirical celebration.
Read Complete AnalysesThe deil cam fiddlin' thro' the town, And danc'd awa wi' th' Exciseman; And ilka wife cries, Auld Mahoun, I wish you luck o' the prize, man. The deil's awa the deil's awa, The deil's awa wi' the Exciseman, He's danc'd awa he's danc'd awa He's danc'd awa wi' the Exciseman. We'll mak our maut, and we'll brew our drink, We'll laugh, sing, and rejoice, man; And mony braw thanks to the meikle black deil, That danc'd awa wi' th' Exciseman. The deil's awa the deil's awa, The deil's awa wi' the Exciseman, He's danc'd awa he's danc'd awa He's danc'd awa wi' the Exciseman. There's threesome reels, there's foursome reels, There's hornpipes and strathspeys, man, But the ae best dance ere came to the Land Was, the deil's awa wi' the Exciseman. The deil's awa the deil's awa , The deil's awa wi' the Exciseman, He's danc'd awa he's danc'd awa He's danc'd awa wi' the Exciseman.
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