Sutors O' Selkirk
written in 1796
Its up wi' the Sutors o Selkirk, And down wi' the Earl o' Hume; And here is to a' the braw ladies That wear the single sol'd shoon: Its up wi' the Sutors o' Selkirk, For they are baith trusty and leal; And up wi' the lads o' the Forest, And down we' the Merse to the deil.
Sutors O' Selkirk - meaning Summary
Local Loyalties and Satire
This short, convivial poem praises the sutors (shoemakers) of Selkirk and champions local, working-class loyalty against aristocratic authority. Using Scots dialect and repeated toasts, the speaker alternates cheer and mock-dismissal—raising the sutors and ‘‘lads o’ the Forest’’ while casting the Earl of Home and the Merse to the devil. It reads as a community celebration and mild political barb, expressing pride in ordinary people and local identity rather than formal argument or narrative.
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