The Book of Scottish Song/The Blaithrie o't 2

The Blaithrie o't.

["The following is a set of this song," says Burns, "which was the earliest song I remember to have got by heart. When a child, an old woman sung it to me, and I picked it up, every word, at first hearing."—From "the affairs of the kirk and the queen" being mentioned in the last verse, the song probably belongs to the reign of queen Anne.

O Willy, weel I mind, I lent you my hand
To sing you a song which you did me command;
But my memory's so bad, I had almost forgot
That you called it the gear and the blaithrie o't.—

I'll not sing about confusion, delusion, or pride,
I'll sing about a laddie was for a virtuous bride;
For virtue is an ornament that time will never rot,
And preferable to gear and the blaithrie o't.

Tho' my lassie ha'e nae scarlets or silks to put on,
We envy not the greatest that sits upon the throne;
I wad rather ha'e my lassie, tho' she cam' in her smock,
Than a princess wi' the gear and the blaithrie o't.

Tho' we ha'e nae horses or menzie at command,
We will toil on our foot, and we'll work wi' our hand:
And when wearied without rest, we'll find it sweet in any spot,
And we'll value not the gear and the blaithrie o't.

If we ha'e ony babies, we'll count them as lent;
Ha'e we less, ha'e we mair, we will aye be content;
For they say they ha'e mair pleasure that wins but a groat,
Than the miser wi' his gear and the blaithrie o't.

I'll not meddle wi' th' affairs o' the kirk or the queen;
They're nae matters for a sang, let them sink, let them swim;
On your kirk I'll ne'er encroach, but I'll hold it still remote,
Sae tak' this for the gear and the blaithrie o't.

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