Familiar Songs - Their Authors & Histories

300 traditional songs, inc sheet music with full piano accompaniment & lyrics.

Share page

Visit Us On FB

THE FLO WERS OF THE FOREST

A MAN'S A MAN FOR A' THAT. In the letter to Mr. Thomson, the Scottish song-collector, which accompanied the first copy of his song " A Man's a Man for a' That," Burns wrote: " A great critic, Aiken, on songs, says that love and wine are the exclusive themes for song-writing; the following is one on neither subject, and consequently is no song, but will be allowed, I think, to be two or three pretty good prose thoughts inverted into rhyme." The world had decided against Mr. Aiken, and Beranger, — who is called the Burns of Prance,—used to say that this song was not a song for one age, but for an eternity. It seems to me that Burns describes it correctly.

i

^E

£

m

;

mm

£

^

i±

1.     Is there for hon-est pov-er - ty That hangs his head, an' a' that? The cow-ard slave we 2.  What though on hamely fare we dine,Wear hod-den-gray, and a' that, Gie fools their silks, and 3.   Ye see yon birk - ie, ca'ed a lord, Wha struts and stares, and a' that, Tho' hundreds worship

P

±L

-i-

£

4-

£

*

=*=

P

tfcfc

fcEEEt

±±

£

E

i------r>

f

=P

:#:

-f-