Is There For Honest Poverty by Robert Burns, more commonly known as A Man's A Man For A' That, was written in 1795. It is considered by many to be his greatest song. At the time it was written, the ideals of the French Revolution were catching on in England and Scotland. This is Burns's paeon to those ideals of liberty, equality and fraternity.
The gist of the song is that it is the man and his character that matters and not what his station in life is. The BBC describes Is There For Honest Poverty as a "dissident ballad", and that the courage it took for Burns to write it is akin to those who resisted Apartheid in South Africa and the Nazi's in Germany. At the time it was written, Burns could very easily have been imprisoned or worse for promoting these ideals.
This song was sung at the opening of the first Scottish parliament in 300 years in 1999 and is considered the top contender for a Scottish national anthem should the country become an independent state once more.
A Man's A Man for A' That
Is there for honest poverty
That hangs his head, an' a' that
The coward slave, we pass him by
We dare be poor for a' that
For a' that, an' a' that
Our toil's obscure and a' that
The rank is but the guinea's stamp
The man's the gowd for a' that
What though on hamely fare we dine
Wear hoddin grey, an' a' that
Gie fools their silks, and knaves their wine
A man's a man, for a' that
For a' that, an' a' that
Their tinsel show an' a' that
The honest man, though e'er sae poor
Is king o' men for a' that
Ye see yon birkie ca'd a lord
Wha struts an' stares an' a' that
Tho' hundreds worship at his word
He's but a coof for a' that
For a' that, an' a' that
His ribband, star and a' that
The man o' independent mind
He looks an' laughs at a' that
A prince can mak' a belted knight
A marquise, duke, an' a' that
But an honest man's aboon his might
Gude faith, he maunna fa' that
For a' that an' a' that
Their dignities an' a' that
The pith o' sense an' pride o' worth
Are higher rank that a' that
Then let us pray that come it may
(as come it will for a' that)
That Sense and Worth, o'er a' the earth
Shall bear the gree an' a' that
For a' that an' a' that
It's coming yet for a' that
That man to man, the world o'er
Shall brithers be for a' that
