Young Jockey Was the Blythest Lad
written in 1790
Young Jockey Was the Blythest Lad - context Summary
Composed in 1790
Written by Robert Burns in 1790, this short Scots lyric has no recorded occasion or known first publication. It reads like a folk song, pairing everyday rural labour with tender courtship: a lively, admired young jockey and his working life on the plain are framed by the speaker’s affectionate responses and the recurring intimacy of evenings together. The poem emphasizes local, physical details and steady devotion, reflecting Burns’ interest in common speech, song forms, and the moral dignity of simple rural life rather than grand romantic rhetoric.
Read Complete AnalysesYoung Jockey was the blythest lad In a' our town or here awa; Fu' blythe he whistled at the gaud, Fu' lightly danc'd he in the ha'. He roos'd my een sae bonie blue, He roos'd my waist sae genty sma; An ay my heart came to my mou, When ne'er a body heard or saw. My Jockey toils upon the plain Thro' wind and weet, thro' frost and snaw; And o'er the lee I leuk fu' fain When Jockey's owsen homeward ca'. An ay the night comes round again When in his arms he taks me a'; An ay he vows he'll be my ain As lang's he has a breath to draw.
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