Tibbie Fowler
written in 1796
Tibbie Fowler - meaning Summary
Attraction and Money
Robert Burns' short song sketches a local woman, Tibbie Fowler, and the crowd of suitors drawn to her. The poem satirises social attraction based on money and ornament rather than affection. Repeated refrains emphasize town gossip and the sheer number of wooers, while verses catalogue her trappings and contrast wealth with beauty. The tone is mocking but breezy, exposing how appearance and the promise of gain steer courtship. Overall it presents a comic moral about materialism in rural social life and how reputations—earned or not—shape romantic attention.
Read Complete AnalysesTibbie Fowler o' the glen, There's o'er mony wooin at ther, Tibbie Fowler o' the glen, There's o'er mony wooin at her. Wooin at her, pu'in at her, Courtin at her, canna get her: Filthy elf, it's for her pelf, That a' the lads are wooin at her. Ten cam east, and ten cam west, Ten came rowin o'er the water; Twa came down the lang dyke side, There's twa and thirty wooin at her. There's seven but, and seven ben, Seven in the pantry wi' her; Twenty head about the door, There's ane and forty wooin at her. She's got pendles in her lugs, Cockle-shells wad set her better; High-heel'd shoon and siller tags, And a' the lads are wooin at her. Be a lassie e'er sae black, An she hae the name o' siller, Set her upo' Tintock-tap, The wind will blaw a man till her. Be a lassie e'er sae fair, An she want the pennie siller; A lie may fell her in the air, Before a man be even till her. Wooin at her, pu'in at her, Courtin at her, canna get her: Filthy elf, it's for her pelf, That a' the lads are wooin at her.
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