For the Chartists—A New Song.
I Hae a Cot, a Wee Kail-Yard.
Tune—“A man’s a man, for a’ that.”
I hae a cot, a wee kail-yard, 1
A wife and bairns, an’ a’ that ;2
I pay my rent at quarter day,3
But hae nae vote, for a’ that. 4
I dearly love my native land—5
I’m tax’d, oppress’d, an’ a’ that—6
An honest Briton’s honest son,7
Yet I’m a slave, for a’ that.8
You boast of equal rights an’ laws,9
For rich an’ poor, an’ a’ that—10
An’ not a slave on British soil,11
Yet I’m a slave, for a’ that :12
I feel an independent mind—13
I’ve common sense, an’ a’ that—14
Unstain’d by crime, and free o’ debt,15
Yet I’m a slave, for a’ that.16
I love my home, my wife an’ bairns—17
Will fight for them, an’ a’ that18
For liberty, my bosom yearns,19
Yet I’m a slave, for a’ that.20
O grant to honest working men21
The rights of men, an’ a’ that !22
An’ I’ll be free an’ happy then,23
An’ hae a vote, an’ a’ that.24