To Susan Steele

Song Meaning

This is a lament disguised as a playful, slightly self-deprecating letter to "Dawtie." The narrator is comparing their own misfortune to that of a "wise man" who secured his stable only after his mare was stolen. The core of the narrator's woe is financial loss: "One Beast he lost and I two guineas." The tone is one of wry, almost resigned foolishness, acknowledging a shared lack of foresight with the "wise man." The central tension lies in the narrator's financial ineptitude and the resulting emptiness. They possess a "cash-pouch" but "no cash to put in it," a stark image of potential wealth that remains unrealized. This mirrors the "wise man's" belated action, highlighting a pattern of being too late to prevent loss. The narrator explicitly states, "The man's brains and mine both alike had thick coverings," confessing a shared, almost willful ignorance that leads to financial ruin. The most striking craft element is the use of a folk-tale-like structure to frame personal financial woes. The opening proverb about the stable door sets up a moral lesson, which the narrator then twists to their own disadvantage. The repetition of loss – "one mare," "two guineas," "two sovereigns" – emphasizes the scale of their personal failure. The narrator's declaration, "For your sake I'll keep it for better or worse," suggests a commitment to Dawtie despite their own shortcomings, a tender gesture amidst the financial gloom. These lyrics resonate because they capture the universal feeling of making a foolish mistake and the sting of financial loss, all delivered with a charmingly self-aware, almost theatrical melancholy. The narrator doesn't just state their problem; they build a small, relatable narrative around it, using the comparison to the "wise man" to underscore their own perceived foolishness. The final "loving kiss for your purse" is a poignant, slightly absurd sign-off, acknowledging that even in financial despair, affection and a touch of humor remain.