The lament of a young woman forced by her mother to marry an older man for money, written by Robert Burns.

Click here to read more Robert Burns poetry on the Scottish Poetry library site. 

What can a young lassie, what shall a young lassie
What can a young lassie dae wi an auld man?
Bad luck on the penny that tempted my minnie
Tae sell her puir Jenny for siller an land

He's always complainin frae mornin till evenin
He hoasts and he hirples the weary day lang
He's doylt an he's dosin, his blood it is frozen
Oh dreary's the night wi a crazy auld man

He hums and he hankers, he frets and he cankers
I never can please him, dae aa that I can
He's peevish an jealous o aa the young fellows
Oh weary's my life wi me crazy auld man*

My auld auntie Kitty, upon me taks pity
I'll dae my endeavour tae follow her plan
I'll cross him an wrack him, until I hairt-brak him
And then his auld brass will buy me a new pan

* Burns wrote this line as 'Oh dool on the day I met wi an auld man.'

The group is Aspograss, of Plockton, and features Hannah on vocals, Lauren on clarinet, Coralea on fiddle, Aoife on clarsach and Murdo on accordion, plus special guests Struan on saxophone and Calum on guitar.

They explained that, 'We started to arrange this song during our annual Burns music weekend in January. We have to arrange a Burns song in a day and play it that evening. [Tutor Sylvia Barnes] suggested this song to the band, but she probably didn’t anticipate that we would come up with the type of arrangement for it that we did!'