---
title: "It Was a’ for Our Rightfu’ King"
author: "Robert Burns"
form: "Poem"
year: "1794"
location: "Dumfries"
source: "Project Gutenberg #1279 — Poems and Songs of Robert Burns"
source_url: "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/1279/pg1279.txt"
canonical_url: "https://robert-burns.com/poems/it-was-a-for-our-rightfu-king/"
---

# It Was a’ for Our Rightfu’ King

## Poem
It was a’ for our rightfu’ King  
We left fair Scotland’s strand;  
It was a’ for our rightfu’ King  
We e’er saw Irish land, my dear,  
We e’er saw Irish land.

Now a’ is done that men can do,  
And a’ is done in vain;  
My Love and Native Land fareweel,  
For I maun cross the main, my dear,  
For I maun cross the main.

He turn’d him right and round about,  
Upon the Irish shore;  
And gae his bridle reins a shake,  
With adieu for evermore, my dear,  
And adiue for evermore.

The soger frae the wars returns,  
The sailor frae the main;  
But I hae parted frae my Love,  
Never to meet again, my dear,  
Never to meet again.

When day is gane, and night is come,  
And a’ folk bound to sleep;  
I think on him that’s far awa,  
The lee-lang night, and weep, my dear,  
The lee-lang night, and weep.

---

Source: [Project Gutenberg #1279 — Poems and Songs of Robert Burns](https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/1279/pg1279.txt)  
Canonical HTML: https://robert-burns.com/poems/it-was-a-for-our-rightfu-king/