Traditional: Collected Lyrics
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Public-domain lyrics

My Gudeman

Traditional

“My Gudeman” as printed in The Book of Scottish Song (1843).

Traditional: Collected Lyrics Text 269 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

My gudeman says aye to me,

Says aye to me, says aye to me;

My gudeman says aye to me,

Come cuddle in my bosie!

Though wearin' auld, he's blyther still

Than mony a swankie youthfu' chiel,

And a' his aim's to see me weel,

And keep me snug and cozie.

For though my cheeks, where roses grew,

Ha'e tint their lively glowing hue,

My Johnnie's just as kind and true

As if I still were rosy.

Our weel-won gear he never drank,

He never lived aboon his rank,

Yet wi' a neebour blythe and frank,

He could be as jocose aye.

We ha'e a hame, gude halesome cheer,

Contentment, peace, a conscience clear,

And rosy bairns to us mair dear

Than treasures o' Potosi:

Their minds are formed in virtue's school,

Their fau'ts are check'd wi' temper cool,

For my gudeman mak's this his rule,

To keep frae hasty blows aye.

It ne'er was siller gart us wed,

Youth, health, and love, were a' we had,

Possess'd o' these, we toil'd fu' glad,

To shun want's bitter throes aye;

We've had our cares, we've had our toils,

We've had our bits o' troubles whiles,

Yet, what o' that? my Johnnie's smiles

Shed joy o'er a' our woes aye.

Wi' mutual aid we've trudged through life,

A kind gudeman, a cheerfu' wife;

And on we'll jog, unvexed by strife,

Towards our journey's close, aye!

And when we're stretch'd upon our bier,

Oh may our souls, sae faithfu' here,

Together spring to yonder sphere,

Where love's pure river flows aye.

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, “My Gudeman”

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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