"A Man's a Man for A' That" is a song by Scottish poet

Robert Burns Robert Burns (25 January 1759 – 21 July 1796), also known familiarly as Rabbie Burns, was a Scottish poet and lyricist. He is widely regarded as the List of national poets, national poet of Scotland and is celebrated worldwide. He is the be ...

, famous for its expression of

egalitarianism Egalitarianism (; also equalitarianism) is a school of thought within political philosophy that builds on the concept of social equality, prioritizing it for all people. Egalitarian doctrines are generally characterized by the idea that all hum ...

. The song made its first appearance in a letter Burns wrote to

George Thomson George Thomson may refer to: Government and politics * George Thomson (MP for Southwark) (c. 1607–1691), English merchant and Parliamentarian soldier, official and politician * George Thomson, Baron Thomson of Monifieth (1921–2008), Scottish p ...

in January 1795. It was subsequently published anonymously in the August edition of the ''Glasgow Magazine'', a

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monthly. Thomson later included it in the fourth volume of his ''Select Collection of Original Scottish Airs'', giving it the title "The Honest Man the Best of Men". Scottish folksinger Sheena Wellington sang the song at the opening of the

Scottish Parliament The Scottish Parliament ( ; ) is the Devolution in the United Kingdom, devolved, unicameral legislature of Scotland. It is located in the Holyrood, Edinburgh, Holyrood area of Edinburgh, and is frequently referred to by the metonym 'Holyrood'. ...

in May 1999.

Midge Ure James "Midge" Ure (; born 10 October 1953) is a Scottish singer-songwriter and record producer. His stage name, Midge, is a phonetic reversal of Jim. Ure enjoyed particular success in the 1970s and 1980s in bands including Slik, Thin Lizzy, ...

did the same in July 2016. The song was also sung at the funeral of

Donald Dewar Donald Campbell Dewar (21 August 1937 – 11 October 2000) was a Scottish statesman and politician who served as the inaugural First Minister of Scotland, first minister of Scotland from 1999 until his death in 2000 and leader of the Labour Par ...

, the inaugural

First Minister of Scotland The first minister of Scotland () is the head of government of Scotland. The first minister leads the Scottish Government, the Executive (government), executive branch of the devolved government and is th ...

. , a German translation of the song written by Ferdinand Freiligrath, was widely used during the

Revolutions of 1848 The revolutions of 1848, known in some countries as the springtime of the peoples or the springtime of nations, were a series of revolutions throughout Europe over the course of more than one year, from 1848 to 1849. It remains the most widespre ...

. The words "pride o' worth" appear on the crest of the

Scottish Qualifications Authority The Scottish Qualifications Authority (SQA; Scottish Gaelic, Gaelic: ''Ùghdarras Theisteanas na h-Alba'') is the Scottish public bodies, executive non-departmental public body of the Scottish Government responsible for accrediting educationa ...

Poem

:Is there, for honest poverty, :That hangs his head, and a' that? :The coward slave, we pass him by, :We dare be poor for a' that! :For a' that, and a' that, :Our toils obscure and a' that, :The rank is but the

guinea Guinea, officially the Republic of Guinea, is a coastal country in West Africa. It borders the Atlantic Ocean to the west, Guinea-Bissau to the northwest, Senegal to the north, Mali to the northeast, Côte d'Ivoire to the southeast, and Sier ...

's stamp, :The man's the gowd for a' that. :What though on hamely fare we dine, :Wear hoddin grey, and a' that; :Gie fools their silks, and knaves their wine, :A man's a man for a' that: :For a' that, and a' that, :Their tinsel shew, and a' that, :The honest man, tho' e'er sae poor, :Is king o' men for a' that. :Ye see yon birkie, ca'd a lord, :Wha struts and stares and a' that; :Tho' hundreds worship at his word, :He's but a coof for a' that: :For a' that, and a' that, :His ribband, star, and a' that, :The man o' independent mind, :He looks and laughs at a' that. :A prince can make a belted knight, :A marquis, duke, and a' that; :But an honest man's aboon his might, :Gude faith, he maunna fa' that! :For a' that, and a' that, :Their dignities and a' that; :The pith o' sense, and pride o' worth, :Are higher rank than a' that. :Then let us pray that come it may, :As come it will, for a' that, :That sense and worth, o'er a' the earth, :May bear the gree, and a' that! :For a' that, and a' that, :It's coming yet for a' that, :That man to man, the warld o'er, :Shall brothers be for a' that.

Recordings

Earl Robinson Earl Hawley Robinson (July 2, 1910 – July 20, 1991) was an American composer, arranger and folk music singer-songwriter from Seattle, Washington. Robinson is remembered for his music, including the cantata " Ballad for Americans" and songs s ...

covered it on his 1963 album ''Earl Robinson Sings'' * The Corries played it on ''Scotland Will Flourish'', their 1985 live album * The McCalmans played it on their 1993 album "Honest Poverty" -an album title also drawn from the song. * The Old Blind Dogs covered this song on their 2001 album ''Fit?'' *

Paolo Nutini Paolo Giovanni Nutini (born 9 January 1987) is a Scottish singer-songwriter from Paisley, Renfrewshire, Paisley, Renfrewshire, Scotland. Nutini's debut album, ''These Streets'' (2006), peaked at number three on the UK Albums Chart. Its follow-u ...

covered this song for

BBC Scotland BBC Scotland is a division of the BBC and the main public broadcaster in Scotland. Its headquarters are in Glasgow, employing approximately 1,250 staff as of 2017, to produce 15,000 hours of television and radio programming per year. BBC Scotla ...

at the Barrowland Ballroom, Glasgow, in 2007 * Marc Gunn covered it on his 2013 album '' Scottish Songs of Drinking & Rebellion'' * The Mudmen covered it on their 2012 album ''Donegal Danny'' * Dougie MacLean covered it on his 1995 album ''Tribute'' * Andy M. Stewart covered it on his 1991 album "The Songs of Robert Burns" as "Is There for Honest Poverty"

References

External links

The Lyrics and the melodyLine by Line Analysis and Examination Of Its Commentary On Modern Global Climate
{{DEFAULTSORT:Man's A Man for A' That, A 18th-century songs Scottish literature Poetry by Robert Burns Scots-language works Ballads Egalitarianism Liberalism Socialism Scottish patriotic songs Scottish republicanism Songs with lyrics by Robert Burns 1795 songs 1790s in Scotland

Poem

Recordings

See also

References

External links