Songs and poems :: :: University of Virginia Library

This song, the author says, in a letter to Burns, “is entirely descriptive of my own sentiments,” and the beautiful picture of contentment—the venerable old man with his children and grandchildren around him —was fully realised in his own experience.

O! why should old age so much wound us, O?
There is nothing in it all to confound us, O;
For how happy now am I,
With my old wife sitting by;
And our bairns and our oys all around us, O;
For how happy now am I, &c.

We began in the warld wi' naething, O,
And we've jogg'd on, and toil'd for the ae thing, O;
We made use of what we had,
And our thankful hearts were glad;
When we got the bit meat and the claithing, O,
We made use of what we had, &c.

We have liv'd all our life-time contented, O,
Since the day we became first acquainted, O:
It's true we've been but poor,
And we are so to this hour;
But we never yet repin'd or lamented, O.
It's true we've been but poor, &c.

When we had any stock, we ne'er vauntit, O,
Nor did we hing our heads when we wantit, O;
But we always gave a share
Of the little we could spare,
When it pleas'd a kind Heaven to grant it, O.
But we always gave a share, &c.

We never laid a scheme to be wealthy, O,
By means that were cunning or stealthy, O;
But we always had the bliss,
And what further could we wiss,
To be pleas'd with ourselves, and be healthy, O.
But we always had the bliss, &c.

What tho' we cannot boast of our guineas, O,
We have plenty of Jockies and Jeanies, O;
And these, I'm certain, are
More desirable by far
Than a bag full of poor yellow steinies, O,
And these, I am certain, are, &c.

We have seen many wonder and ferly, O,
Of changes that almost are yearly, O,
Among rich folks up and down,
Both in country and in town,
Who now live but scrimply and barely, O,
Among rich folks up and down, &c.

Then why should people brag of prosperity, O?
A straiten'd life we see is no rarity, O;
Indeed we've been in want,
And our living's been but scant,
Yet we never were reduced to need charity, O.
Indeed we've been in want, &c.

In this house we first came together, O,
Where we've long been a father and mither, O;
And tho' not of stone and lime,
It will last us all our time;
And, I hope, we shall ne'er need anither, O.
And tho' not of stone and lime, &c.

And when we leave this poor habitation, O,
We'll depart with a good commendation, O;
We'll go hand in hand, I wiss,
To a better house than this,
To make room for the next generation, O.
We'll go hand in hand, I wiss, &c.
Then why should old age so much wound us, &c.