A Red, Red Rose is a song by Robert Burns, published in 1794. In four short stanzas, the speaker compares his love to a rose and a melody, and promises to love until the seas run dry. Based on traditional songs that Burns collected and reworked, it is one of the most famous love songs in English and Scots.
A folk song reworked
Burns spent his last years collecting and rewriting old Scottish songs for collections such as the Scots Musical Museum.
A Red, Red Rose draws on lines from popular songs of his time, which he shaped into a perfect lyric.
The poem
The comparisons are simple and strong: the rose newly sprung in June, the melody sweetly played, the seas and rocks that will last for ages.
The song ends with a farewell, the speaker promising to return even if he must travel ten thousand miles.
Music
The song is sung to a traditional tune, and has been set many times by composers and performed by countless singers.
Bob Dylan once named it as the lyric that had inspired him most, a sign of its lasting power.
Anecdotes
Publication
The song first appeared in 1794 in a collection called A Selection of Scots Songs, edited by Pietro Urbani, and later in the Scots Musical Museum.
Burns Night
Burns's songs are sung every year on 25 January, his birthday, at Burns suppers in Scotland and around the world.
Frequently asked questions
When was A Red, Red Rose published?
In 1794.
What does the speaker compare his love to?
A red rose and a sweet melody.
Is it entirely original?
Burns reworked lines from older folk songs.