Jumpin John
written in 1788
Jumpin John - meaning Summary
Seduction and Social Terms
Robert Burns' lyric narrates a simple tale of courtship and social negotiation in rural Scotland. A young man nicknamed Jumpin John seduces a ‘‘bonie lassie’’ despite her parents' objections. The poem sketches consequences and incentives: family disapproval, the girl's steadfastness, and a modest dowry—livestock and small cash—framed as a suitable match for a cotter’s daughter. The voice is straightforward and colloquial, conveying local custom, gender dynamics, and economic realities more than psychological depth. The repeating refrain gives the story a songlike, communal quality.
Read Complete AnalysesThe lang lad they ca' jumpin John Beguil'd the bonie lassie, The lang lad they ca' jumpin John Beguil'd the bonie lassie. Her Daddie forbad, her Minnie forbad; Forbidden she wadna be: She wadna trow't, the browst she brew'd Wad taste sae bitterlie. A cow and a cauf, a yowe and a hauf, And thretty gude shillins and three; A vera gude tocher, a cotter-man's dochter, The lass wi' the bonie black e'e. The lang lad they ca' jumpin John Beguil'd the bonie lassie, The lang lad they ca' jumpin John Beguil'd the bonie lassie.
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