Gie Me A Lass wi a Lump o' Land

It is a song, Gi'e me a lass with a lump of land, as published in William Thomson's Orpheus Caledonius (1733).

GIE me a lass wi a lump o land,
An we for life shall gang the gither,
Tho daft or wice, I’ll never demand,
Or black, or fair, it maksna whether.
I’m aff wi wit, an beauty will fade,
An bluid alane is no worth a shillin,
But she that’s rich, her mercat’s made,
For ilka chairm aboot her is killin.

Gie me a lass wi a lump o land,
An in my bosom I’ll hug my traesur;
Gin I haed ance her gear in my hand,
Should love turn dowf, it will finnd plaesur.
Lauch on wha likes, but there’s my hand,
I hate wi puirtith, tho bonny, to meddle,
Unless they bring cash, or a lump o land,
They’ll ne’er get me to dance to their fiddle.

There’s meikle guid love in bands an bags,
An siller an gowd’s a sweet complexion;
For beauty, an wit, an virtue in rags,
Haes tint the art o gainin affection:
Love tips his airaes wi wids an parks,
An castles, an riggs, an muirs, an meidaes,
An naething can catch oor modern sparks
But well-tochered lasses, or jointur’d-weedaes.

Thochts

• Original text: Allan Ramsay, Poems (Edinburgh: Thomas Ruddiman for the author, 1728).
• First publication date: 1728
• dowf: dull - or even 'deaf'?
• poortith: poverty
• tint: lost. Think on 'taint'?
• riggs: ridges. Or thin on 'corn riggs'?

Thus Rendered

SQXvDKJARuw

A Setting

X: 1
T: Gie Me A Lass Wi' A Lump O' Land
R: jig
M: 6/8
L: 1/8
K: Amix
A2A efg | fed e2e | ABA e2f | g2e dBG |
A2A efg | fed e2f | gag gfe | dBg dBG ||
ABA a2g | b2g a2f | gag gfe | dBg dBG |
ABA a2g | b2g a2f | gag gfe | dBg dBG |]

• well-tocher'd: well-dowered.