I'm O'er Young to Marry Yet
written in 1788
I'm O'er Young to Marry Yet - context Summary
Written 1788
Composed in 1788, this light-hearted Scots song presents a young woman refusing a suitor because she is "o'er young to marry yet." She gives practical and domestic reasons—attachment to her mother, fear of sleeping away from home, and the cold winter nights—while gently postponing commitment until summer. The poem balances coyness and sincerity, using seasonal imagery and conversational dialect to frame courtship as both personal reluctance and a socially acceptable delay rather than outright rejection.
Read Complete AnalysesI'm o'er young, I'm o'er young, I'm o'er young to marry yet; I'm o'er young, 'twad be a sin To tak me frae my mammy yet. I am my mammny's ae bairn, Wi' unco folk I weary, Sir, And lying in a man's bed, I'm fley'd it mak me irie, Sir. Hallowmass is come and gane, The nights are lang in winter, Sir, And you an' I in ae bed, In trowth, I dare na venture, Sir. Fu' loud and shill the frosty wind Blaws thro' the leafless timmer, Sir; But if ye come this gate again, I'll aulder be gin simmer, Sir. I'm o'er young, I'm o'er young, I'm o'er young to marry yet; I'm o'er young, 'twad be a sin To tak me frae my mammy yet.
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