Robert Burns: Collected Lyrics
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Public-domain lyrics

O, wat ye wha's in yon Town?

Robert Burns

“O, wat ye wha's in yon Town?” as printed in The Poetical Works of Robert Burns (1887).

Robert Burns: Collected Lyrics Text 252 1887 · historical text
Public domainScottish songSong lyrics
Complete public-domain lyrics

This text comes from The Poetical Works of Robert Burns, a historical songbook transcribed on Wikisource and reproduced from the pinned revision linked below.

Verse 1

O, wat ye wha's in yon town,

Ye see the e'enin sun upon?

The fairest dame's in yon town,

That e'enin sun is shining on.

Verse 2

Now haply down yon gay green shaw,

She wanders by yon spreading tree:

How blest, ye flow'rs that round her blaw,

Ye catch the glances o' her e'e!

Verse 3

How blest, ye birds that round her sing,

And welcome in the blooming year,

And doubly welcome be the spring,

The season to my Lucy dear!

Verse 4

The sun blinks blithe on yon town,

And on yon bonie braes of Ayr;

But my delight in yon town,

And dearest bliss, is Lucy fair.

Verse 5

Without my love, not a' the charms

O' Paradise could yield me joy;

But gie me Lucy in my arms,

And welcome Lapland's dreary sky.

Verse 6

My cave wad be a lover's bower,

Tho' raging winter rent the air;

And she a lovely little flower,

That I wad tent and shelter there.

Verse 7

O sweet is she in yon town,

Yon sinkin sun's gane down upon;

A fairer than's in yon town,

His setting beam ne'er shone upon.

Verse 8

If angry fate is sworn my foe,

And suffering I am doom'd to bear;

I careless quit all else below,

But spare me, spare me Lucy dear.

Verse 9

For while life's dearest blood is warm,

Ae thought frae her shall ne'er depart,

And she—as fairest in her form,

She has the truest, kindest heart.

Credits

Written by Robert Burns

Words by Robert Burns. Historical text published in The Poetical Works of Robert Burns (1887); public domain. No claim to a modern recording or arrangement.

Source & text edition

The Poetical Works of Robert Burns (1887), “O, wat ye wha's in yon Town?”

Every text in this 1887 collected edition is by Robert Burns (1759-1796), who died more than 230 years ago, so the text is in the public domain worldwide; the edition carries a Wikisource PD-old determination and a pre-1931 United States publication.

How to read this historical text and its source

Read the source on Wikisource

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Retrieved 2026-10-25. 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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