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Gie Me a Lass Wi a Lump o Land

Barbara Dymock of Fife sang Gie Me a Lass Wi a Lump o Land and The Tarbolton Lasses in 2019 on Malinky's 20^th anniversary album Handsel. They noted:

Gi'e Me a Lass wi' a Lump o' Land was published by Allan Ramsay in his Tea-Table Miscellany in 1724, described by a later editor as “to supplant old and coarse words to the tune of The Lass wi' the Lump o' Land.” It also appears with the original melody in William Thomson's Orpheus Caledonius of 1725.

The Tarbolton Lasses was written by Robert Burns in 1778. Barbara chose these two 18^th century, tongue-in-cheek, contrasting views of women, despite the fact that, by current standards, they would be considered outdated. She feels strongly about not censoring song choices to fit modern social views.

Lyrics

Gie Me a Lass Wi a Lump o Land

Gie me a lass wi a lump o land,
An we for life shall gang the gither,
Tho daft or wice, I'll never demand,
Or black, or fair, it maksna whether.
I'm aff wi wit, an beauty will fade,
An bluid alane is no worth a shillin,
But she that's rich, her mercat's made,
For ilka chairm aboot her is killin.

Gie me a lass wi a lump o land,
An in my bosom I'll hug my traesur;
Gin I haed ance her gear in my hand,
Should love turn dowf, it will finnd plaesur.
Lauch on wha likes, but there's my hand,
I hate wi puirtith, tho bonny, to meddle,
Unless they bring cash, or a lump o land,
They'll ne'er get me to dance to their fiddle.

There's meikle guid love in bands an bags,
An siller an gowd's a sweet complexion;
For beauty, an wit, an virtue in rags,
Haes tint the art o gainin affection:
Love tips his airaes wi wids an parks,
An castles, an riggs, an muirs, an meidaes,
An naething can catch oor modern sparks
But well-tochered lasses, or jointur'd-weedaes.