Gie the Lass Her Fairing
Gie the Lass Her Fairing - meaning Summary
Playful, Bawdy Exchange
This short Scots song urges a young man to give a girl her "fairin'" (a small gift) and promises a bawdy reward in return. Written in dialect and built on a repeated refrain, the poem frames the exchange as playful, teasing, and sexualized—part courtship, part comic brag. The speaker describes hoisting the girl into creels and securing the door, using folk imagery and humour to turn a conventional gift-giving ritual into a ribald promise of physical intimacy. Its tone is jaunty rather than earnest, aiming for convivial amusement.
Read Complete AnalysesO gie the lass her fairing, lad, O gie the lass her fairin', An' something else she'll gie to you, That's waly worth the wearin'; Syne coup her o'er amang the creels, When ye hae taen your brandy, The mair she bangs the less she squeels, An' hey for houghmagandie. Then gie the lass a fairin' lad, O gie the lass her fairin', An' sh'ell gie you a hairy thing, An' of it be na sparin'; But coup her o'er amang the creels, An' bar the door wi' baith your heels, The mair she gets the less she squeels; An' hey for houghmagandie.
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