Tibbie Dunbar
written in 1789
Tibbie Dunbar - context Summary
1789 Playful Scottish Courtship
Composed in 1789, this short, humorous song captures a playful rural courtship in Scots dialect. The speaker repeatedly invites Tibbie Dunbar to accompany him by horse, cart, or on foot, emphasizing personal attachment over her family’s lands or social rank. Burns frames the proposal as affectionate and egalitarian—willing to accept Tibbie in good or bad fortune—while showcasing folk speech and convivial tone. The poem reflects Burns’s interest in Scottish vernacular song and the social world of small‑scale, everyday relationships rather than elite manners.
Read Complete AnalysesO wilt thou go wi' me, sweet Tibbie Dunbar; O wilt thou go wi' me, sweet Tibbie Dunbar: Wilt thou ride on a horse, or be drawn in a car, Or walk by my side, O sweet Tibbie Dunbar. I care na thy daddie, his lands and his money; I care na thy kin, sae high and sae lordly: But say thou wilt hae me for better for waur, And come in thy coatie, sweet Tibbie Dunbar.
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