Traditional: Collected Lyrics
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Public-domain lyrics

Fair fa' the Lasses

Traditional

“Fair fa' the Lasses” as printed in The Book of Scottish Song (1843).

Traditional: Collected Lyrics Text 107 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

Fair fa' the lasses, O!

Fair fa' the lasses, O!

May dool and care still be his share,

Wha doesna lo'e the lasses, O!

Pale poverty and girnin' care,

How lang will ye harass us, O?

Yet light's the load we ha'e to bear,

If lessened by the lasses, O!

Fair fa' the lasses, &c.

The rich may sneer as they gae by,

Or scornfully may pass us, O;

Their better lot we'll ne'er envy,

But live and love the lasses, O!

Fair fa' the lasses, &c.

Why should we ever sigh for wealth?

Sic thochts should never fash us, O;

A fig for pelf, when blest wi' health,

Content, and bonnie lasses, O!

Fair fa' the lasses, &c.

The ancient bards, to shaw their skill,

Placed Muses on Parnassus, O,

But let them fable as they will,

My muses are the lasses, O!

Fair fa' the lasses, &c.

The toper cries, the joy o' wine

A' ither joy surpasses, O;

But he ne'er kent the bliss divine,

That I ha'e wi' the lasses, O!

Fair fa' the lasses, &c.

When I am wi' the chosen few,

The time fu' quickly passes, O:

But days are hours, and less, I trow,

When I am wi' the lasses, O!

Fair fa' the lasses, &c.

When joys abound, then let a round

Of overflowing glasses, O,

Gae brisk about, and clean drunk out,

The toast be—"bonnie lasses," O!

Fair fa' the lasses, O!

Auld Scotland's bonnie lasses, O!

May dool and care still be his share,

Wha winna toast the lasses, O!

Credits

Written by Traditional

Traditional words. 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, “Fair fa' the Lasses”

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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