O Can Ye Labour Lea
written in 1792
O Can Ye Labour Lea - meaning Summary
Playful Courtship and Conditions
Burns presents a lively, vernacular speaker testing a young suitor’s readiness for courtship and sexual relationship. Using Scots idiom and jaunty repetition, the speaker balances playful erotic imagery (kissing, "clappin") with a practical demand: the man must be able to "labour lea"—to meet her expectations or else leave. Seasonal references (February, May) frame desire and timing, while the poem juxtaposes physical pleasure with a wish for a lasting connection. The tone is teasing, assertive, and rooted in everyday rural life.
Read Complete AnalysesO, can ye labour lea, young man, O, can ye labour lea? Gae back the gate ye came again Ye's never scorn me! I fee'd a man at Martinmas Wi' airle-pennies three; But a' the faut I had to him He couldna labour lea. O, clappin's guid in Febarwar, An' kissin's sweet in May; But what signifies a young man's love, An't dinna last for ay? O, kissin is the key o' love An' clappin is the lock; An' makin of's the best thing That e'er a young thing got! O, can ye labour lea, young man, O, can ye labour lea? Gae back the gate ye came again Ye's never scorn me!
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