O Gat Ye Me Wi' Naething
O Gat Ye Me Wi' Naething - fact Summary
About Luckie Lang
This short song addresses a woman named Luckie (Lucky) Lang and frames the speaker’s complaint at being paired with nothing while she gained a comfortable marriage. The narrator contrasts his humble status and losses—his whistle, song, peace and pleasure—with Luckie’s security through a dowry and better match. The tone mixes rueful reproach and wry Scottish colloquialism. The poem is traditionally read as a personal, humorous lament tied to Burns’s youthful amorous experiences with a real woman called Luckie Lang.
Read Complete AnalysesGat ye me, O gat ye me, An' gat ye me wi naething A rock, a reel, a spinning wheel, A gude black cunt was ae thing. A tocher fine, o'er muckle far, When sic a scullion gat it; Indeed, o'er muckle far gudewife, For that was ay the fau't o't. But had your tongue now, Luckie Lang, O had your tongue and jauner, I held the gate till you I met, Syne I began to wander; I tint my whistle an' my sang, I tint my peace an' pleasure; But your green grave now, Lucky Lang, Wad airt me to my treasure.
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