O Gude Ale Comes and Gude Ale Goes
written in 1795
O Gude Ale Comes and Gude Ale Goes - context Summary
Written in 1795
Composed in 1795, this short, folklike song by Robert Burns presents a comic, self-mocking speaker whose love of ale brings both joy and hardship. The narrator recounts selling possessions and neglecting work because of drinking, yet repeatedly insists that "gude ale keeps my heart aboon," signaling a stubborn cheerfulness or resignation. The poem reads as a convivial lament—part celebration, part rueful confession—using a plain, repeated refrain and rustic diction that mimic oral tradition and invite group singing. Its tone balances humor with a clear acknowledgment of alcohol’s social and economic costs.
Read Complete AnalysesO gude ale comes and gude ale goes, Gude ale gars me sell my hose, Sell my hose, and pawn my shoon, Gude ale keeps my heart aboon. I had sax owsen in a pleugh, They drew a' weel eneugh, I sald them a', ane by ane, Gude ale keeps my heart aboon. Gude ale hauds me bare and busy, Gars me moop wi' the servant hizzie, Stand i' the stool when I hae done, Gude ale keeps my heart aboon. O gude ale comes and gude ale goes, Gude ale gars me sell my hose, Sell my hose, and pawn my shoon, Gude ale keeps my heart aboon.
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