The Deuks Dang O'er My Daddie
written in 1792
The bairns gat out wi' an unco shout, The deuks dang o'er my daddie, O, The fien-ma-care, quo' the feirrie auld wife, He was but a paidlin body, O. He paidles out, an' he paidles in, An' he paidles late and early, O; This seven lang year I hae lien by his side, An he is but a fusionless carlie, O. O had your tongue, my feirrie auld wife, O had your tongue, now Nansie, O: I've seen the day, and sae hae ye, Ye wad na ben sae donsie, O. I've seen the day ye butter'd my brose, And cuddl'd me late and early, O; But downa do's come o'er me now, And, Oh, I find it sairly, O!
The Deuks Dang O'er My Daddie - meaning Summary
Aging, Desire, and Distance
Burns presents a speaker who laments the decline of sexual and domestic warmth in a long relationship. Using Scots speech, the narrator recounts nights of disappointment: her partner once lively now merely paddles about, leaving her unsatisfied. She contrasts past intimacy — being cared for and cuddled — with current distance and a sense of loss. The poem reads as a candid, wry reflection on aging, changing desire, and marital promise unmet, rooted in everyday domestic detail rather than moralizing or dramatic complaint.
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