Lyric Poem · Nature

Ballad on Mr. Heron’s Election—No. 1

by Robert Burns

Reading room

1WHOM will you send to London town,

2 To Parliament and a’ that?

3Or wha in a’ the country round

4 The best deserves to fa’ that?

5 For a’ that, and a’ that,

6 Thro’ Galloway and a’ that,

7 Where is the Laird or belted Knight

8 The best deserves to fa’ that?

9Wha sees Kerroughtree’s open yett,

10 (And wha is’t never saw that?)

11Wha ever wi’ Kerroughtree met,

12 And has a doubt of a’ that?

13 For a’ that, and a’ that,

14 Here’s Heron yet for a’ that!

15 The independent patriot,

16 The honest man, and a’ that.

17Tho’ wit and worth, in either sex,

18 Saint Mary’s Isle can shaw that,

19Wi’ Dukes and Lords let Selkirk mix,

20 And weel does Selkirk fa’ that.

21 For a’ that, and a’ that,

22 Here’s Heron yet for a’ that!

23 The independent commoner

24 Shall be the man for a’ that.

25But why should we to Nobles jouk,

26 And is’t against the law, that?

27For why, a Lord may be a gowk,

28 Wi’ ribband, star and a’ that,

29 For a’ that, and a’ that,

30 Here’s Heron yet for a’ that!

31 A Lord may be a lousy loun,

32 Wi’ ribband, star and a’ that.

33A beardless boy comes o’er the hills,

34 Wi’ uncle’s purse and a’ that;

35But we’ll hae ane frae mang oursels,

36 A man we ken, and a’ that.

37 For a’ that, and a’ that,

38 Here’s Heron yet for a’ that!

39 For we’re not to be bought and sold,

40 Like naigs, and nowt, and a’ that.

41Then let us drink—The Stewartry,

42 Kerroughtree’s laird, and a’ that,

43Our representative to be,

44 For weel he’s worthy a’ that.

45 For a’ that, and a’ that,

46 Here’s Heron yet for a’ that!

47A House of Commons such as he,

48 They wad be blest that saw that.

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“Ballad on Mr. Heron’s Election—No. 1” by Robert Burns — quilloak.com/poems/ballad-on-mr-herons-election-no-1

Quick facts

Poem: Ballad on Mr. Heron’s Election—No. 1
Poet: Robert Burns
Length: 48 lines
Form: Lyric Poem
Themes: Nature

Craft notes

How this poem works

Measured from the text on this page, not copied from a summary. Counts are approximate: syllables and rhymes come from the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary, which models General American English, so dialect, older pronunciation, and performance can all change what you hear.

Shape: 48 lines · 6 octaves
End rhyme: ABCBBBDB in 67% of the stanzas. The remaining stanzas vary, often through slant rhyme.
Line length: Lines run 6-8 syllables (median 7). No single length dominates, which is normal once elision and contraction are in play.
Refrains: “The best deserves to fa’ that?”“For a’ that, and a’ that,”“Here’s Heron yet for a’ that!”Repeated lines act as the poem's hinge or drumbeat.

The poem’s silhouette — approximate syllables per line, measured from the text above. Even bars mean a measured line; ragged bars mean the poem sets its own widths.

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Author record: Robert Burns1759–1796
Source record: PoetryDBBallad on Mr. Heron’s Election—No. 1 by robert-burns, PoetryDB transcription
Display decision: Full text · United States · reviewed 2026-07-18
Publication record: Not recorded in the imported source
Text fingerprint: SHA-256 a7d95bccae9a34a7…
Editorial handling: Whitespace and stanza breaks normalized for web display; no material wording change recorded.

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