Dead broke! dead broke!--aft said in joke,Sae truth is sometimes spoken;But to the man "wha bears the gree,"'Tis onything but jokin'.Auld tattered claes, an' girnin' boots,Admittin' wind an' weather,Like freends that stood--whan he was guid--But no a' gang thegither.
Dead broke! dead broke! words eas'ly spoke,But ah! to feel their meanin';Without a penny in ye're pouch,Or yet a freendly leanin';With out a credit at a store,But wi' an empty larder!For wark--desire--yet nane to hireCan life be muckle harder?
Dead broke! dead broke!--a gae sair stoke,An' unco hard to thole;But wi' a will, determid'd still,We'll warstle thro' the hole.An' should it ever be oure lotTo meet wi fortune's smile,Whan we foregather some poor chiel,Let's help him o'er the stile.
