Living

O Can Ye Labour Lea?

by Robert Burns 1759–1796

From Poems and Songs, 1792

Living

Chorus—O can ye labour lea, young man,
O can ye labour lea?
It fee nor bountith shall us twine
Gin ye can labour lea.

I fee’d a man at Michaelmas,
Wi’ airle pennies three;
But a’ the faut I had to him,
He could na labour lea,
O can ye labour lea, &c.

O clappin’s gude in Febarwar,
An’ kissin’s sweet in May;
But my delight’s the ploughman lad,
That weel can labour lea,
O can ye labour lea, &c.

O kissin is the key o’ luve,
And clappin’ is the lock;
An’ makin’ o’s the best thing yet,
That e’er a young thing gat.
O can ye labour lea, &c.

MLA

Burns, Robert. “O Can Ye Labour Lea?” Poetry Codex, poetrycodex.com/poem/burns/369/.

Chicago

Burns, Robert. “O Can Ye Labour Lea?” Poetry Codex. https://poetrycodex.com/poem/burns/369/.

Read this poem with the Codex →

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