A Man's A Man For A' That
Scottish Poem By Robert Burns
A Man's A Man For A' That (also known as Is There For Honest Poverty) is a poem written by the Scottish poet Robert Burns.Burns set the words to the traditional Scottish melody 'Lady MacIntosh's Rant'. He had first used the tune for his earlier song 'I Am A Bard Of No Regard', before pairing it with the text of this poem.
By pairing both texts with the same tune, Burns demonstrated a common practice of the period, in which established airs were reused for new lyrics to aid familiarity and encourage wider circulation. The connection between the melody and these two works provides a clear example of how Burns drew on existing musical traditions when composing songs intended for performance and publication.
This 1795 poem is famous for its expression of egalitarian ideas of society, which may be seen as reflecting the liberal thought that developed in the 18th century.
Scottish folksinger Sheena Wellington performed it at the opening of the Scottish Parliament in May, 1999. It was also sung at the funeral of Donald Dewar, the inaugural First Minister of Scotland. The piece is known in translations across Europe, including the German version "Trotz alledem und alledem" by Ferdinand Freiligrath, written shortly after the Revolution of 1848 and later recorded by Hannes Wader as "Trotz alledem".
Related Scottish Country Dances
A Man's A Man For A' ThatA Man's A Man For A' That By Robert Burns
That hings his head, an' a' that;
The coward slave-we pass him by,
We dare be poor for a' that!
For a' that, an' a' that.
Our toils obscure an' a' that,
The rank is but the guinea's stamp,
The Man's the gowd for a' that.
What though on hamely fare we dine,
Wear hodden grey, an' a that;
Gie fools their silks, and knaves their wine;
A Man's a Man for a' that:
For a' that, and a' that,
Their tinsel show, an' a' that;
The honest man, tho' e'er sae poor,
Is king o' men for a' that.
Ye see yon birkie, ca'd a lord,
Wha struts, an' stares, an' a' that;
Tho' hundreds worship at his word,
He's but a coof for a' that:
For a' that, an' a' that,
His ribband, star, an' a' that:
The man o' independent mind
He looks an' laughs at a' that.
A prince can mak a belted knight,
A marquis, duke, an' a' that;
But an honest man's abon his might,
Gude faith, he maunna fa' that!
For a' that, an' a' that,
Their dignities an' a' that;
The pith o' sense, an' pride o' worth,
Are higher rank than a' that.
Then let us pray that come it may,
(As come it will for a' that,)
That Sense and Worth, o'er a' the earth,
Shall bear the gree, an' a' that.
For a' that, an' a' that,
It's coming yet for a' that,
That Man to Man, the world o'er,
Shall brothers be for a' that.
A Man's A Man For A' That Song Video
A Man's A Man For A' That Song - Information Video
Robert Burns
"Portrait Of Burns" Alexander Nasmyth (1758-1840), c. 1787
The Online Scots Dictionary Translate Scots To English.
Published in https://en.wikisource.org/wiki/A_Man%27s_a_Man_for_A%27_That
Image from Alexander Nasmyth, public domain, via Wikimedia Commons.
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