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Last Night I Dreamt I Saw Rabbie Burns

from The Prentice Bard by Alan Dickson

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Adapted from the ‘Star o’ Rabbie Burns’ and loosely based around the song ‘I Dreamed I Saw Joe Hill Last Night.’ The ‘Star o’ Rabbie Burns’ has served well through the years, but I thought it needed a revamp! I first performed this at the 250th birthday bash for Burns on 25th January 2009, in the Tron Theatre, Glasgow.

lyrics

Last night I dreamt I saw Rabbie Burns,
Alive as you and me,
Says I to him “Ye’re long time deid;”
“I never died” says he,
“I never died” says he.

Though ye were a ploughman lad,
And wore the hoddin gray,
There’s many a laurel wreath’s been laid;
Says Rabbie “I never died,”
Says Rabbie “I never died.”

You starved and struggled to pay the rent,
The landlords kept you down,
Till your broken hert could take nae mair;
You died from overwork,
You died from overwork.

“No I ain’t dead”, he says to me,
“Rabbie ain’t dead” says he,
Takes more than work to kill a man,
“I never died” says he,
“I never died” says he.
Standing there as bold as brass,
Wi’ laughter in his eyes,
“Nae landlordism will e’er cage me,”
“I didn’t die” says he,
”I didn’t die” says he.

“I may be poor” he says to me,
“But wealth is many things,
My passions they are vent in rhyme,
To quell the Deil in me,
To quell the Deil in me.
Kings and courtiers may rise and fa’,
This world has many turns,
But it’s on the side o’ the Common Man,
“Where you’ll find me” says he,
“Where you’ll find me” says he.

Last night I dreamt I saw Rabbie Burns,
Alive as you and me,
Says I to him “Ye’re long time deid;”
“I never died” says he,
“I never died” says he.

credits

from The Prentice Bard, released April 7, 2012

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Alan Dickson Glasgow, UK

Scottish singer songwriter Alan Dickson was born in Leith but now based in Glasgow. Alan writes about life in Scotland and beyond, mainly of a personal and political nature.

Descended from a Leith docker, he remarks: "as life mimics art I'm just like my grandfather, only he used a rivet gun and I use a guitar."

Among his influences are Robert Burns, Woody Guthrie, Bob Dylan and Dick Gaughan. ... more

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