Transcribed from the 1920 Macmillan and Co edition of “The Bab Ballads”, also from “Fifty Bab Ballads” 1884 George Routledge and Sons edition by David Price, email ccx074@pglaf.org

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Songs of a Savoyard

CONTENTS

PAGE
The Darned Mounseer [6]
The Englishman [13]
The Disagreeable Man [16]
The Coming By-and-By [22]
The Highly Respectable Gondolier [26]
The Fairy Queen’s Song [32]
Is Life a Boon [38]
The Modern Major-General [42]
The Heavy Dragoon [49]
Proper Pride [56]
The Policeman’s Lot [63]
The Baffled Grumbler [69]
The House of Peers [74]
A Merry Madrigal [81]
The Duke And The Duchess [84]
Eheu Fugaces—! [92]
They’ll None of ’em be Missed [99]
Girl Graduates [106]
Braid The Raven Hair [113]
The Working Monarch [119]
The Ape And The Lady [123]
Only Roses [130]
The Rover’s Apology [136]
An Appeal [143]
The Reward of Merit [146]
The Magnet and the Churn [153]
The Family Fool [161]
Sans Souci [169]
A Recipe [175]
The Merryman and his Maid [182]
The Susceptible Chancellor [191]
When a Merry Maiden Marries [198]
The British Tar [204]
A Man who would Woo a Fair Maid [209]
The Sorcerer’s Song [211]
The Fickle Breeze [219]
The First Lord’s Song [227]
Would you Know? [240]
Speculation [254]
Ah Me! [255]
The Duke of Plaza-Toro [262]
The Æsthete [271]
Said I to Myself, Said I [278]
Sorry her Lot [286]
The Contemplative Sentry [292]
The Philosophic Pill [299]
Blue Blood [307]
The Judge’s Song [315]
When I First put this Uniform on [322]
Solatium [329]
A Nightmare [335]
Don’t Forget! [345]
The Suicide’s Grave [354]
He And She [361]
The Mighty Must [367]
A Mirage [374]
The Ghosts’ High Noon [381]
The Humane Mikado [388]
Willow Waly! [397]
Life is Lovely all the Year [403]
The Usher’s Charge [411]
The Great Oak Tree [418]
King Goodheart [424]
Sleep on! [431]
The Love-sick Boy [439]
Poetry Everywhere [445]
He Loves! [453]
True Diffidence [458]
The Tangled Skein [466]
My Lady [471]
One against the World [473]
Put a Penny in the Slot [480]
Good Little Girls [482]
Life [487]
Limited Liability [490]
Anglicised Utopia [497]
An English Girl [499]
A Manager’s Perplexities [504]
Out of Sorts [506]
How it’s Done [512]
A Classical Revival [515]
The Practical Joker [523]
The National Anthem [526]
Her Terms [534]
The Independent Bee [536]
The Disconcerted Tenor [547]
The Played-out Humorist [553]

THE DARNED MOUNSEER

I shipped, d’ye see, in a Revenue sloop,
And, off Cape Finisteere,
A merchantman we see,
A Frenchman, going free,
So we made for the bold Mounseer,
D’ye see?
We made for the bold Mounseer!
But she proved to be a Frigate—and she up with her ports,
And fires with a thirty-two!
It come uncommon near,
But we answered with a cheer,
Which paralysed the Parley-voo,
D’ye see?
Which paralysed the Parley-voo!
Then our Captain he up and he says, says he,
“That chap we need not fear,—
We can take her, if we like,
She is sartin for to strike,
For she’s only a darned Mounseer,
D’ye see?
She’s only a darned Mounseer!
But to fight a French fal-lal—it’s like hittin’ of a gal—
It’s a lubberly thing for to do;
For we, with all our faults,
Why, we’re sturdy British salts,
While she’s but a Parley-voo,
D’ye see?
A miserable Parley-voo!”

So we up with our helm, and we scuds before the breeze,
As we gives a compassionating cheer;
Froggee answers with a shout
As he sees us go about,
Which was grateful of the poor Mounseer,
D’ye see?
Which was grateful of the poor Mounseer!
And I’ll wager in their joy they kissed each other’s cheek
(Which is what them furriners do),
And they blessed their lucky stars
We were hardy British tars
Who had pity on a poor Parley-voo,
D’ye see?
Who had pity on a poor Parley-voo!

THE ENGLISHMAN

He is an Englishman!
For he himself has said it,
And it’s greatly to his credit,
That he is an Englishman!
For he might have been a Roosian,
A French, or Turk, or Proosian,
Or perhaps Itali-an!
But in spite of all temptations,
To belong to other nations,
He remains an Englishman!
Hurrah!
For the true-born Englishman!