Robert Burns: Collected Lyrics
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Public-domain lyrics

Song ("When first I saw fair Jeanie's face")

Robert Burns

“Song ("When first I saw fair Jeanie's face")” as printed in The Poetical Works of Robert Burns (1887).

Robert Burns: Collected Lyrics Text 329 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

When first I saw fair Jeanie's face,

I couldna tell what ailed me,

My heart went fluttering pit-a-pat,

My een they almost failed me.

She's aye sae neat, sae trim, sae tight,

All grace does round her hover,

Ae look deprived me o' my heart,

And I became a lover.

She's aye, aye sae blithe, sae gay,

She's aye so blithe and cheerie;

She's aye sae bonie, blithe, and gay,

O gin I were her dearie!

Verse 2

Had I Dundas's whole estate,

Or Hopetoun's wealth to shine in;

Did warlike laurels crown my brow,

Or humbler bays entwining—

I'd lay them a' at Jeanie's feet,

Could I but hope to move her,

And prouder than a belted knight,

I'd be my Jeanie's lover.

She's aye, aye sae blithe, sae gay, &c.

Verse 3

But sair I fear some happier swain

Has gained sweet Jeanie's favour:

If so, may every bliss be hers,

Though I maun never have her:

But gang she east, or gang she west,

'Twixt Forth and Tweed all over,

While men have eyes, or ears, or taste,

She'll always find a lover.

She's aye, aye sae blithe, sae gay, &c.

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), “Song ("When first I saw fair Jeanie's face")”

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

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

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.
Keep tracing

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