The poem speaks of the special love between a mother and her daughter and how that love is reciprocal. My Mother Would Be a ...

The poem was written in 1785 on the occasion of the birth of Burns’ daughter, the product of a ... The child was raised by the poet’s mother and he made financial provisions for her ...

This is a topical poem about a mother who is forced to flee her home with her daughter in the middle of the night. It is suggested that she is an immigrant woman perhaps facing deportation.