The Lad they Ca' Jumpin John by Robert Burns
A bonie lassie defies both her daddie and minnie, refusing to believe that the choice she has made will prove bitter. She is beguiled by the lang lad called Jumpin John. Though she is a cotter-man’s dochter, she has a respectable tocher: a cow and calf, a ewe and lamb, and thirty-three good shillings, along with her bonie black eye.
By Robert Burns · First published 1792 · Genre: Scottish folk ballad, Narrative poetry, Romantic tragedy · 128 words
First lines
Her daddie forbad, her minnie forbad / Forbidden she wadna be: / She wadna trow't the browst she brew'd, / Wad taste sae bitterlie.
Chorus. -The lang lad they ca'Jumpin John / Beguil'd the bonie lassie, / The lang lad they ca'Jumpin John / Beguil'd the bonie lassie.
A cow and a cauf, a yowe and a hauf, / And thretty gude shillin's and three; / A vera gude tocher, a cotter-man's dochter, / The lass wi' the bonie black e'e. / The lang lad, &c.
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Genres
- Scottish folk ballad — The work uses Scots dialect, a recurring chorus, compact narrative verse, and a traditional-song structure characteristic of Scottish folk ballads.
- Narrative poetry — It tells a concise story of a young woman disregarding parental warnings and being deceived by Jumpin John.
- Romantic tragedy — Its central situation concerns courtship, seduction, betrayal, and the bitter consequences of misplaced trust.
- Pastoral poetry — The references to a cow, calf, ewe, and rural dowry place the poem within an agricultural, village-based social setting.
Tags
Scottish vernacular poetry · Scots language · lyric poem · song refrain · courtship · seduction · parental prohibition · defiant daughter · young woman · rural Scotland · cotter's daughter · village life
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The Lad they Ca' Jumpin John is listed on Textopian as a poem by Robert Burns, dated 1792 CE.
This source record anchors work identity, reading entry points, and catalog context for checking claims about the work.
- Work type: Poem
- Author: Robert Burns
- Date: 1792 CE
- Language: English
- Genres: Scottish folk ballad, Narrative poetry, Romantic tragedy, Pastoral poetry, Social satire
- Length: 128 words
- Structure: 1 section, 3 paragraphs
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