His grandfather fell ill and died, and for a while Thomson and his wife lived in the parish of Colinton before returning to Kenleith.
During the day he worked as a weaver, and in the evenings composed songs and poems, depicting local characters and places.
The contents include a sharp epigram:[1] Ye Doctors, use your greatest care,Your patients' lives a while to spare;On this alone depends your wealth,To keep alive, though not in health.
[7]A set of four love songs describes the author being too bold in the first, then in the second bidding farewell to buchts, or sheep-folds, he had become excessively shy.
[1] Fareweel, ye bughts, an' all your ewes,An' fields whare bIoomin' heather grows;Nae mair the sportin' lambs I'll seeSince my true love's forsaken me.CHORUSNae mair I'll hear wi' pleasure singThe cheerfu' lav'rock in the Spring,But sad in grief now I maun mourn,Far, far frae her, o'er Logan-burn.
[8]He gained the patronage of General Scott of Malleny, and dedicated to him Poems, chiefly in the Scottish dialect (Leith, 1819).