For the Sake O' Somebody
written in 1794
For the Sake O' Somebody - meaning Summary
Longing for an Unnamed Beloved
This short Scots lyric records a speaker’s intense, unambiguous longing for an unnamed beloved. Using repetition and a refrain, the voice insists it would endure hardship and travel widely "for the sake o' Somebody." The second stanza shifts into a prayer to protective powers, asking for the beloved’s safety and the speaker’s eventual union. The poem foregrounds desire, devotion, and willing sacrifice, presenting love as both urgent feeling and moral petition rather than a detailed narrative.
Read Complete AnalysesMy heart is sair - I dare na tell, My heart is sair for Somebody; I could wake a winter night For the sake o' Somebody. Oh-hon! for Somebody! Oh-hey! for Somebody! I could range the warld round, For the sake o' Somebody. Ye Powers that smile on virtuous love, O, sweetly smile on Somebody! Frae ilka danger keep him free, And send me safe my Somebody! Ohon! for Somebody! Ohey! for Somebody! I wad do - what wad I not For the sake o' Somebody!
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