The Lass O' Liviston
The Lass O' Liviston - meaning Summary
Rural Desire and Courtship
This poem presents a speaker’s frank, amused account of a young rural woman from Liviston. Using earthy, colloquial Scots, the narrator admires her looks and describes a sexual encounter with playful boastfulness and repeated refrains. The tone mixes affectionate teasing and coarse eroticism, foregrounding physical details and social familiarity rather than formal courtship. The poem registers desire, local identity, and intimate negotiation between two people in a small community, inviting readers to hear both the speaker’s confidence and the cultural setting that frames his narrative.
Read Complete AnalysesThe bonny lass o' Liviston Her name ye ken, her name ye ken; And ay the welcomer ye'll be, The farther ben, the farther ben, And she has it written in her contract To lie her lane, to lie her lane, And I hae written in my contract To claw her wame, to claw her wame. The bonny lass o' Liviston, She's berry brown, she's berry brown; An' ye winna true her lovely locks, Gae farther down, gae farther down. She has a black and a rolling eye, And a dimplit chin, and a dimplit chin; And no to prie her rosy lips, Wad be a sin, wad be a sin. The bonny lass o' Liviston, Cam in to me, cam in to me; I wat wi' baith ends o' the busk, I made me free, I made me free. I laid her feet to my bed-stock, Her head to the wa', her head to the wa'; And I gied her her wee coat in her teeth, Her sark an' a', her sark an' a'.
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