Laurel · Bliss Carman · More Songs from Vagabondia

Barney Mcgee

Bliss Carman (1861–1929) · 1896

iambic tetrameter · 112 lines · from More Songs from Vagabondia

Barney McGee, there's no end of good luck in you,Will-o'-the-wisp, with a flicker of Puck in you,Wild as a bull-pup and all of his pluck in you,--Let a man tread on your coat and he'll see!--Eyes like the lakes of Killarney for clarity,Nose that turns up without any vulgarity,Smile like a cherub, and hair that is carroty,--Wow, you're a rarity, Barney McGee!Mellow as Tarragon,Prouder than Aragon--Hardly a paragon,You will agree--Here's all that's fine to you!Books and old wine to you!Girls be divine to you,Barney McGee!

Lucky the day when I met you unwittingly,Dining where vagabonds came and went flittingly.Here's some Barbera to drink it befittingly,That day at Silvio's, Barney McGee!Many's the time we have quaffed our Chianti there,Listened to Silvio quoting us Dante there,--Once more to drink Nebiolo spumante there,How we'd pitch Pommery into the sea!There where the gang of usMet ere Rome rang of us,They had the hang of usTo a degree.How they would trust to you!That was but just to you.Here's o'er their dust to you,Barney McGee!

Barney McGee, when you're sober you scintillate,But when you're in drink you're the pride of the intellect;Divil a one of us ever came in till late,Once at the bar where you happened to be--Every eye there like a spoke in you centering,You with your eloquence, blarney, and bantering--All Vagabondia shouts at your entering,King of the Tenderloin, Barney McGee!There's no satietyIn your societyWith the varietyOf your esprit.Here's a long purse to you,And a great thirst to you!Fate be no worse to you,Barney McGee!

Och, and the girls whose poor hearts you deracinate,Whirl and bewilder and flutter and fascinate!Faith, it's so killing you are, you assassinate,--Murder's the word for you, Barney McGee!Bold when they're sunny and smooth when they're showery,--Oh, but the style of you, fluent and flowery!Chesterfield's way, with a touch of the Bowery!How would they silence you, Barney machree?Naught can your gab allay,Learned as Rabelais(You in his abbey layOnce on the spree).Here's to the smile of you,(Oh, but the guile of you!)And a long while of you,Barney McGee!

Facile with phrases of length and Latinity,Like honorificabilitudinity,Where is the maid could resist your vicinity,Wiled by the impudent grace of your plea?Then your vivacity and pertinacityCarry the day with the divil's audacity;No mere veracity robs your sagacityOf perspicacity, Barney McGee.When all is new to them,What will you do to them?Will you be true to them?Who shall decree?Here's a fair strife to you!Health and long life to you!And a great wife to you,Barney McGee!

Barney McGee, you're the pick of gentility;Nothing can phase you, you've such a facility;Nobody ever yet found your utility,--That is the charm of you, Barney McGee;Under conditions that others would stammer in,Still unperturbed as a cat or a Cameron,Polished as somebody in the Decameron,Putting the glamour on prince or Pawnee!In your meanderin',Love, and philanderin',Calm as a mandarinSipping his tea!Under the art of you,Parcel and part of you,Here's to the heart of you,Barney McGee!

You who were ever alert to befriend a man,You who were ever the first to defend a man,You who had always the money to lend a man,Down on his luck and hard up for a V!Sure, you'll be playing a harp in beatitude(And a quare sight you will be in that attitude)--Some day, where gratitude seems but a platitude,You'll find your latitude, Barney McGee.That's no flim-flam at all,Frivol or sham at all,Just the plain--Damn it all,Have one with me!Here's luck and more to you!Friends by the score to you,True to the core to you,Barney McGee!

Words in this poem 36

flicker v. i.: To flutter; to flap the wings without flying. [OE. flikeren, flekeren, to flutter, AS. flicerian, flicorian, cf. D. flikkeren to sparkle. Flacker.]
puck n.: A celebrated fairy, [OE. pouke; cf. OSw. puke, Icel. puki an evil demon, W. pwca a hobgoblin. Cf. Poker a bugbear, Pug.]
clarity n.: Clearness; brightness; splendor. [L. claritas, fr. clarus clear: cf. F. clarté.]
cherub n.: A mysterious composite being, the winged footstool and chariot of the Almighty, described in Ezekiel i. and x. [Heb. kerub.]
carroty a.: Like a carrot in color or in taste; -- an epithet given to reddish yellow hair, etc.
rarity n.: The quality or state of being rare; rareness; thinness; as, the rarity (contrasted with the density) of gases. [L. raritas: cf. F. rareté. See Rare.]
tarragon n.: A plant of the genus Artemisa (A. dracunculus), much used in France for flavoring vinegar. [Sp. taragona, Ar. tarkh; perhaps fr. Gr. draco; cf. L. dracunculus tarragon. Cf. Dragon.]
paragon n.: A companion; a match; an equal.
went n.: Course; way; path; journey; direction.
flittingly adv.: In a flitting manner.
befittingly adv.: In a befitting manner; suitably.
scintillate v. i.: To emit sparks, or fine igneous particles. [L. scintillare, scintillatum, from scintilla a spark. Cf. Stencil.]
spoke n.: The radius or ray of a wheel; one of the small bars which are inserted in the hub, or nave, and which serve to support the rim or felly. [OE. spoke, spake, AS, spaca; akin to D. speek, LG. speke, OHG. speihha, G. speiche. sq. root170. Cf. Spike a nail.]
tenderloin n.: A strip of tender flesh on either side of the vertebral column under the short ribs, in the hind quarter of beef and pork. It consists of the psoas muscles.
deracinate v. t.: To pluck up by the roots; to extirpate. [F. déraciner; pref. dé- (L. dis) + racine root, fr. an assumed LL. radicina, fr. L. radix, radicis, root.]
assassinate n.: An assassination, murder, or murderous assault. [F. assassinat.]
sunny a.: Of or pertaining to the sun; proceeding from, or resembling the sun; hence, shining; bright; brilliant; radiant.
showery a.: Raining in showers; abounding with frequent showers of rain.
bowery a.: Shading, like a bower; full of bowers.
facile a.: Easy to be done or performed: not difficult; performable or attainable with little labor. [L. facilis, prop., capable of being done or made, hence, facile, easy, fr. facere to make, do: cf. F. facile. Srr Fact, and cf. Faculty.]
latinity n.: The Latin tongue, style, or idiom, or the use thereof; specifically, purity of Latin style or idiom. [L. latinitas: cf. F. latinité.]
pertinacity n.: The quality or state of being pertinacious; obstinacy; perseverance; persistency. [Cf. F. pertinacité.]
audacity n.: Daring spirit, resolution, or confidence; venturesomeness.
perspicacity n.: The state of being perspicacious; acuteness of sight or of intelligence; acute discernment. Sir T. Browne. [L. perspicacitas: cf. F. perspicacité. See Perspicacious.]
shall v. i.: To owe; to be under obligation for. [OE. shal, schal, imp. sholde, scholde, AS. scal, sceal, I am obliged, imp. scolde, sceolde, inf. sculan; akin to OS. skulan, pres. skal, imp. skolda, D. zullen,]
strife n.: The act of striving; earnest endeavor. [OF. estrif. See Strive.]
gentility n.: Good extraction; dignity of birth. [L. gentilitas the relationship of those who belong to the same clan, also, heathenism: cf. F. gentilité heathenism. See Gentile.]
nobody n.: No person; no one; not anybody. [No, a. + body.]
somebody n.: A person unknown or uncertain; a person indeterminate; some person.
decameron n.: A celebrated collection of tales, supposed to be related in ten days; -- written in the 14th century, by Boccaccio, an Italian. [It. decamerone, fr. Gr. décaméron.]
glamour n.: A charm affecting the eye, making objects appear different from what they really are. [Scot. glamour, glamer; cf. Icel. glámeggdr one who is troubled with the glaucoma; or Icel. glam-s weakness of sight, glamour; glamr name of the moon, also of a ]
pawnee n.: One or two whom a pledge is delivered as security; one who takes anything in pawn.
befriend v. t.: To act as a friend to; to favor; to aid, benefit, or countenance.
beatitude n.: Felicity of the highest kind; consummate bliss. [L. beatitudo: cf. F. béatitude. See Beatify.]
platitude n.: The quality or state of being flat, thin, or insipid; flat commonness; triteness; staleness of ideas of language. [F., from plat flat. See Plate.]
frivol v. i.: To act frivolously; to trifle. Kipling. -- Friv"ol*er (#), Friv"ol*ler, n. [All Colloq.]

Definitions and etymologies from Webster's Unabridged Dictionary, 1913.

About this text

Barney Mcgee is in the public domain. This text is taken from More Songs From Vagabondia, Project Gutenberg ebook #18007; the transcription's header, footer and licence were removed and nothing else was changed. You may copy, print and reuse it freely.

Cite as: Bliss Carman, Barney Mcgee, in More Songs from Vagabondia (1896), text of Project Gutenberg ebook #18007, Laurel, https://laurelpoetry.com/poem/carman-vagabondia/barney-mcgee.html, id L24697.

Form and metre

Barney Mcgee is 112 lines in 7 stanzas of 16 lines each. The commonest rhyme scheme is AAABCCCBDDDBEEEB, in 2 of the 7 stanzas; the rest vary or could not be confirmed. This poem did not settle on a metre of its own; the book it comes from is in iambic tetrameter.

See other poems in iambic tetrameter.

Measured by Laurel's pipeline, not copied from a handbook: how stress and metre are counted, how rhyme is lettered, how a drifted rhyme is found. Where the dictionary cannot confirm a rhyme the letter is withheld, not guessed.

Rhyme words, stanza by stanza

The word that ends each line, lettered by the rhyme it makes; a dash is a line whose rhyme the dictionary could not confirm.

1 AAABCC-BDDDBAAAB you^A · you^A · you^A · see^B · clarity^C · vulgarity^C · carroty · mcgee^B · tarragon^D · aragon^D · paragon^D · agree^B · you^A · you^A · you^A · mcgee^B
2 -AABCCCBDDDBEEEB unwittingly · flittingly^A · befittingly^A · mcgee^B · there^C · there^C · there^C · sea^B · us^D · us^D · us^D · degree^B · you^E · you^E · you^E · mcgee^B
3 A-ABC-CBDDDBEEEB scintillate^A · intellect · late^A · be^B · centering^C · bantering · entering^C · mcgee^B · satiety^D · society^D · variety^D · esprit^B · you^E · you^E · you^E · mcgee^B
4 AAABCCCBDDDBEEEB deracinate^A · fascinate^A · assassinate^A · mcgee^B · showery^C · flowery^C · bowery^C · machree^B · allay^D · rabelais^D · lay^D · spree^B · you^E · you^E · you^E · mcgee^B
5 AAAB-CCBDDDBEEEB latinity^A · honorificabilitudinity^A · vicinity^A · plea^B · pertinacity · audacity^C · sagacity^C · mcgee^B · them^D · them^D · them^D · decree^B · you^E · you^E · you^E · mcgee^B
6 AA-B-CCBDD-BEEEB gentility^A · facility^A · utility · mcgee^B · in · cameron^C · decameron^C · pawnee^B · meanderin^D · philanderin^D · mandarin · tea^B · you^E · you^E · you^E · mcgee^B
7 AAABCCCBDDDBEEEB man^A · man^A · man^A · v^B · beatitude^C · attitude^C · platitude^C · mcgee^B · all^D · all^D · all^D · me^B · you^E · you^E · you^E · mcgee^B

Scansion, line by line

Each line with its syllable count and the stresses the words themselves fix: / stressed, ˘ unstressed, · a syllable the word leaves free and the metre decides. Read against iambic tetrameter. How this is done.

Line	Syl.	Stress
Barney McGee, there's no end of good luck in you,	12	/˘˘/········
Will-o'-the-wisp, with a flicker of Puck in you,	12	······/˘····
Wild as a bull-pup and all of his pluck in you,--	12	············
Let a man tread on your coat and he'll see!--	10	··········
Eyes like the lakes of Killarney for clarity,	11	·········/˘
Nose that turns up without any vulgarity,	11	······/˘˘/˘
Smile like a cherub, and hair that is carroty,--	12	···/˘····/˘˘
Wow, you're a rarity, Barney McGee!	9	···/˘/˘˘/
Mellow as Tarragon,	6	/˘·/˘˘
Prouder than Aragon--	6	/˘·/˘·
Hardly a paragon,	6	/˘·/˘·
You will agree--	4	··˘/
Here's all that's fine to you!	6	······
Books and old wine to you!	6	······
Girls be divine to you,	6	··˘/··
Barney McGee!	4	/˘˘/
Lucky the day when I met you unwittingly,	11	/˘······˘/˘
Dining where vagabonds came and went flittingly.	11	/˘·/˘···/˘˘
Here's some Barbera to drink it befittingly,	12	··˘/˘···˘/˘˘
That day at Silvio's, Barney McGee!	9	···/˘/˘˘/
Many's the time we have quaffed our Chianti there,	12	/˘·····/˘/˘·
Listened to Silvio quoting us Dante there,--	11	/˘·/˘/˘·/˘·
Once more to drink Nebiolo spumante there,	10	··········
How we'd pitch Pommery into the sea!	10	··········
There where the gang of us	6	······
Met ere Rome rang of us,	6	······
They had the hang of us	6	······
To a degree.	4	··˘/
How they would trust to you!	6	······
That was but just to you.	6	······
Here's o'er their dust to you,	6	······
Barney McGee!	4	/˘˘/
Barney McGee, when you're sober you scintillate,	12	/˘˘/··/˘·/˘˘
But when you're in drink you're the pride of the intellect;	13	··········/˘·
Divil a one of us ever came in till late,	11	······/····
Once at the bar where you happened to be--	10	······/˘··
Every eye there like a spoke in you centering,	11	/˘·······/˘
You with your eloquence, blarney, and bantering--	10	···/˘/˘·/˘
All Vagabondia shouts at your entering,	10	········/˘
King of the Tenderloin, Barney McGee!	10	···/˘·/˘˘/
There's no satiety	6	··˘/˘˘
In your society	6	··˘/˘˘
With the variety	6	··˘/˘˘
Of your esprit.	4	··˘/
Here's a long purse to you,	6	······
And a great thirst to you!	6	······
Fate be no worse to you,	6	······
Barney McGee!	4	/˘˘/
Och, and the girls whose poor hearts you deracinate,	12	········˘/˘˘
Whirl and bewilder and flutter and fascinate!	12	··˘/˘·/˘·/˘·
Faith, it's so killing you are, you assassinate,--	12	···/˘···˘/˘·
Murder's the word for you, Barney McGee!	10	/˘····/˘˘/
Bold when they're sunny and smooth when they're showery,--	12	···/˘····/˘˘
Oh, but the style of you, fluent and flowery!	11	······/˘·/˘
Chesterfield's way, with a touch of the Bowery!	11	/˘·······/˘
How would they silence you, Barney machree?	10	···/˘·/˘··
Naught can your gab allay,	6	····˘/
Learned as Rabelais	5	·····
(You in his abbey lay	6	···/˘·
Once on the spree).	4	····
Here's to the smile of you,	6	······
(Oh, but the guile of you!)	6	······
And a long while of you,	6	······
Barney McGee!	4	/˘˘/
Facile with phrases of length and Latinity,	12	/˘·/˘···˘/˘˘
Like honorificabilitudinity,	12	············
Where is the maid could resist your vicinity,	11	·····˘/·˘/˘
Wiled by the impudent grace of your plea?	10	···/˘˘····
Then your vivacity and pertinacity	12	··˘/˘˘······
Carry the day with the divil's audacity;	11	/˘······˘/˘
No mere veracity robs your sagacity	11	··˘/˘··˘/˘˘
Of perspicacity, Barney McGee.	10	······/˘˘/
When all is new to them,	6	······
What will you do to them?	6	······
Will you be true to them?	6	······
Who shall decree?	4	··˘/
Here's a fair strife to you!	6	······
Health and long life to you!	6	······
And a great wife to you,	6	······
Barney McGee!	4	/˘˘/
Barney McGee, you're the pick of gentility;	11	/˘˘/····˘/˘
Nothing can phase you, you've such a facility;	11	/˘······˘/˘
Nobody ever yet found your utility,--	10	/··/···˘/˘
That is the charm of you, Barney McGee;	10	······/˘˘/
Under conditions that others would stammer in,	12	··˘/˘·/˘·/˘·
Still unperturbed as a cat or a Cameron,	11	··˘/·····/˘
Polished as somebody in the Decameron,	12	/˘·/˘˘··˘/˘˘
Putting the glamour on prince or Pawnee!	10	/˘·/˘···//
In your meanderin',	5	·····
Love, and philanderin',	6	······
Calm as a mandarin	6	···/˘˘
Sipping his tea!	4	/˘··
Under the art of you,	6	······
Parcel and part of you,	6	/˘····
Here's to the heart of you,	6	······
Barney McGee!	4	/˘˘/
You who were ever alert to befriend a man,	11	···/˘/·˘/··
You who were ever the first to defend a man,	11	···/···˘/··
You who had always the money to lend a man,	12	···/··/˘····
Down on his luck and hard up for a V!	10	··········
Sure, you'll be playing a harp in beatitude	12	···/˘···˘/˘˘
(And a quare sight you will be in that attitude)--	12	·········/˘·
Some day, where gratitude seems but a platitude,	12	···/˘····/˘·
You'll find your latitude, Barney McGee.	10	···/˘·/˘˘/
That's no flim-flam at all,	6	······
Frivol or sham at all,	6	/˘····
Just the plain--Damn it all,	6	······
Have one with me!	4	····
Here's luck and more to you!	6	······
Friends by the score to you,	6	······
True to the core to you,	6	······
Barney McGee!	4	/˘˘/

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