Burns uses the "for a' that" line ending on more than one occassion. Some seem to date "Is There For Honest Poverty" to 1795 which is the same year that he wrote the "Ballads On Mr Heron's Election 1795" This has seven verses whic all use the same device and fit the same tune etc. Verse one is Whom will you send to London town To parliament and a' that? Or wha in a' the country round The best deserves to fa' that? For a' that an a' that Thro Galloway an a' that Where is the Laird or belted knight The best deserves to fa' that He didn't just use the device and verse type for political thought. A decade earlier he wrote the lyrics actually titled "For A' That" which starts off Tho' women's minds like winter winds May shift, and turn, an a' that The noblest breast adores them a' A consequence I draw that For a' that an' a' that And twice as meikle's a' that The bonnie lass that I lo'e best Shall be my ain for a' that SO I think it is likely that his use of "an a' that" in the song in question is just him using a familiar device, verse structure and rhythm etc rather than reading anything else into it. There may well be other instances as I didn't look through the whole canon. He also often uses the device where he says "man" at the end of various lines. I'm not sure if he was the first to use these? He very possibly wasn't!
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