Man Was Made To Mourn

Given a reggae feel here by Mike, Man Was Made To Mourn is one of Burns' poems that is recognized as one of his most eloquent in his bid to define the sorry plight of the working man. I am sure that if he had been born into the present times, he might be branded as a rabble-rouser and left wing socialist.

The origin of this fine poem is alluded to by Burns in one of his
letters to Mrs. Dunlop: "I had an old grand-uncle with whom my mother
lived in her girlish years: the good old man was long blind ere he
died, during which time his highest enjoyment was to sit and cry,
while my mother would sing the simple old song of 'The Life and Age of
Man.'" From that truly venerable woman, long after the death of her
distinguished son, Cromek, in collecting the Reliques, obtained a copy
by recitation of the older strain. Though the tone and sentiment
coincide closely with "Man was made to Mourn," I agree with Lockhart,
that Burns wrote it in obedience to his own habitual feelings.