The Dumfries Volulnteers vol VI song 545
Tune, Callan Shearghlas
(see N. Gow's third Collection)
Does haughty Gaul invasion threat,
Then let the louns beware, Sir,
There's Wooden Walls upon our seas,
And Volunteers on shore, Sir.
The Nith shall run to Corsincon,
And Criffel sink in Solway,
Ere we permit a foreign foe
On British ground to rally. -
O let us not, like snarling curs,
In wrang'ling be divided,
Till, slap! come in an unco loun,
And wi' a rung decide it:
Be Britain still to Britain true;
Amang oursels united:
For never but by British hands
Maun British wrangs be righted -
The kettle o' the Kirk and State,
Perhaps a clout may fail on't;
But deil a foreign tinkler loun
Shall ever ca' a nail in't:
Our father's blude the kettle bought,
And wha wad dare to spoil it,
By Heavens, the sacreligious dog
Shall fuel be to boil it! ----
The
Tune, Callan Shearghlas
(see N. Gow's third Collection)
Does haughty Gaul invasion threat,
Then let the louns beware, Sir,
There's Wooden Walls upon our seas,
And Volunteers on shore, Sir.
The Nith shall run to Corsincon,
And Criffel sink in Solway,
Ere we permit a foreign foe
On British ground to rally. -
O let us not, like snarling curs,
In wrang'ling be divided,
Till, slap! come in an unco loun,
And wi' a rung decide it:
Be Britain still to Britain true;
Amang oursels united:
For never but by British hands
Maun British wrangs be righted -
The kettle o' the Kirk and State,
Perhaps a clout may fail on't;
But deil a foreign tinkler loun
Shall ever ca' a nail in't:
Our father's blude the kettle bought,
And wha wad dare to spoil it,
By Heavens, the sacreligious dog
Shall fuel be to boil it! ----
The
Key details
- Archive number
- NTS/02/25/BRN/02/60
- Alt. number
- 3.6201
- Date
- 1795
- On display
- Yes
- Creator
- Burns, Robert (Author)
- Archive number
- NTS/02/25/BRN/02/60
- Alt. number
- 3.6201
- Date
- 1795
- On display
- Yes
- Creator
- Burns, Robert (Author)
Description
The Dumfries Volunteers. In January 1795 a movement was got under way to defend the nation from possible French attack and Robert Burns was instrumental in the formation of the Dumfries Volunteers. The poem was published in various newspapers in May of that year.
Robert Burns’s political views were often at odds with his professional expectations as an employee of the British government. The 1790s were a time of widespread political unrest. The recent French Revolution and American War for Independence had made the British government especially wary of any revolutionist sympathies.
Burns personally supported Republicanism and vocalised his controversial opinions to other like-minded compatriots around Dumfries. Unfortunately his behaviour did not go unnoticed by his superiors at the Excise.
Robert wrote this song in spring 1795 to prove his loyalty to the British Crown and to save his job after rumours spread that he had sympathies with the French Revolutionists.
It is written in support of the recently formed Royal Dumfries Volunteers, whose aim was to defend the nation from a possible French attack. To prove his allegiance to Britain, Burns joined the Volunteers in March of the same year. Meanwhile, he secretly continued to write poems and letters in support of revolutionary cause.
Robert wrote this song in spring 1795 to prove his loyalty to the British Crown and to save his job after rumours spread that he had sympathies with the French Revolutionists.
It is written in support of the recently formed Royal Dumfries Volunteers, whose aim was to defend the nation from a possible French attack. To prove his allegiance to Britain, Burns joined the Volunteers in March of the same year. Meanwhile, he secretly continued to write poems and letters in support of revolutionary cause.
Archive information
Themes
Hierarchy
-
Robert Burns, collection of poems and songs
(
a sub-fonds is a subdivision in the archival material)
- The Dumfries Volunteers
Caring for collections
A gift of £5 a month can help us ensure collections like the Robert Burns Collection receive ongoing care and are shared with as many people as possible.