The Jolly Beggars : My Bonie Lass I Work in Brass
written in 1785
The Jolly Beggars : My Bonie Lass I Work in Brass - fact Summary
From the Merry Muses
Written in 1785 and included in the bawdy anthology The Merry Muses of Caledonia, this song adopts the voice of a wandering tinkerer who boasts of wandering, coin-taking, and choosing a tradesman’s life over rank. The poem reflects Robert Burns’s familiarity with itinerant work and low-life tavern culture, presenting a roguish, self-mocking persona comfortable with drink, craft, and sexual freedom. Its survival in the Muses collection marks it as part of Burns’s more earthy, popular verse rather than his formal, public poetry.
Read Complete AnalysesMy bonie lass I work in brass, A Tinkler is my station; I've travell'd round all Christian ground In this my occupation; I've ta'en the gold an' been enroll'd In many a noble squadron; But vain they search'd when off I march'd To go an' clout the Caudron. I've ta'en the gold an' been enroll'd In many a noble squadron; But vain they search'd when off I march'd To go an' clout the Caudron. Despise that Shrimp, that withered Imp, With a' his noise an' cap'rin; An' take a share, with those that bear The budget and the apron! And by that Stowp! my faith an' houpe, And by that dear Kilbaigie, If e'er ye want, or meet with scant, May I ne'er weet my Craigie! And by that Stowp! my faith an' houpe, And by that dear Kilbaigie, If e'er ye want, or meet with scant, May I ne'er weet my Craigie!
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