James Hogg: Collected Lyrics
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Public-domain lyrics

I ha'e lost my love

James Hogg

“I ha'e lost my love” as printed in The Book of Scottish Song (1843).

James Hogg: Collected Lyrics Text 6 1843 · historical text
Public domainScottish songFolk
Complete public-domain lyrics

This text comes from The Book of Scottish Song, edited by Alexander Whitelaw, a historical songbook transcribed on Wikisource and reproduced from the pinned revision linked below.

Verse 1

I ha'e lost my love, an' I dinna ken how,

I ha'e lost my love, an' I carena;

For laith will I be just to lie down an' dee,

And to sit down and greet wad be bairnly;

But a screed o' ill nature I canna weel help,

At having been guidit unfairly;

An' weel wad I like to gi'e woman a skelp,

An' yerk their sweet haffets fu' yarely.

O! plague on the limmers, sae sly an' demure,

As pawkie as de'ils wi' their smiling;

As fickle as winter in sunshine and shower,

The hearts of a' mankind beguiling;

As sour as December, as soothing as May,

To suit their ain ends never doubt them;

Their ill fau'ts I couldna tell ower in a day,

But their beauty's the warst thing about them!

Ay, that's what sets up the hale warld in a lowe—

Makes kingdoms to rise an' expire;

Man's might is nae mair than a flaughten o' tow,

Opposed to a bleeze o' reid fire!

'Twas woman at first made creation to bend,

And of nature's prime lord made the pillow!

An' 'tis her that will bring this ill warld to an end—

An' that will be seen an' heard tell o'!

Credits

Written by James Hogg

Words by James Hogg. Historical text published in The Book of Scottish Song (1843); public domain. No claim to a modern recording or arrangement.

Source & text edition

The Book of Scottish Song (1843), edited by Alexander Whitelaw, “I ha'e lost my love”

Every contribution in this 1843 anthology predates modern copyright terms by more than a century; any contributor died at least 130 years ago, so the text is in the public domain worldwide (life+70 terms expired no later than 2020).

How to read this historical text and its source

Read the source on Wikisource

View copyright evidence · Transcription terms (CC BY-SA 4.0)

Retrieved 2026-10-12. Line spacing and section labels are adapted for reading. The displayed text follows the linked edition. Editorial notes and abstract artwork are by 52lyrics.
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