John and Freddy
JOHN courted lovely MARY ANN,So likewise did his brother, FREDDY.FRED was a very soft young man,While JOHN, though quick, was most unsteady.
FRED was a graceful kind of youth,But JOHN was very much the strongest.“Oh, dance away,” said she, “in truth,I’ll marry him who dances longest.”
JOHN tries the maiden’s taste to strikeWith gay, grotesque, outrageous dresses,And dances comically, likeCLODOCHE AND CO., at the Princess’s.
But FREDDY tries another style,He knows some graceful steps and does ’em—A breathing Poem—Woman’s smile—A man all poesy and buzzem.
Now FREDDY’S operatic pas—Now JOHNNY’S hornpipe seems entrapping:Now FREDDY’S graceful entrechats—Now JOHNNY’S skilful “cellar-flapping.”
For many hours—for many days—For many weeks performed each brother,For each was active in his ways,And neither would give in to t’other.
After a month of this, they say(The maid was getting bored and moody)A wandering curate passed that wayAnd talked a lot of goody-goody.
“Oh my,” said he, with solemn frown,“I tremble for each dancing frater,Like unregenerated clownAnd harlequin at some the-ayter.”
He showed that men, in dancing, doBoth impiously and absurdly,And proved his proposition true,With Firstly, Secondly, and Thirdly.
For months both JOHN and FREDDY danced,The curate’s protests little heeding;For months the curate’s words enhancedThe sinfulness of their proceeding.
At length they bowed to Nature’s rule—Their steps grew feeble and unsteady,Till FREDDY fainted on a stool,And JOHNNY on the top of FREDDY.
“Decide!” quoth they, “let him be named,Who henceforth as his wife may rank you.”“I’ve changed my views,” the maiden said,“I only marry curates, thank you!”
Says FREDDY, “Here is goings on!To bust myself with rage I’m ready.”“I’ll be a curate!” whispers JOHN—“And I,” exclaimed poetic FREDDY.
But while they read for it, these chaps,The curate booked the maiden bonny—And when she’s buried him, perhaps,She’ll marry FREDERICK or JOHNNY.
Words in this poem 16
- fred n.
- Peace; -- a word used in composition, especially in proper names; as, Alfred; Frederic. [AS. fri peace. See Frith inclosure.]
- outrageous a.
- Of the nature of an outrage; exceeding the limits of right, reason, or decency; involving or doing an outrage; furious; violent; atrocious. [OF. outrageus, F. outrageux. See Outrage, n.]
- poesy n.
- The art of composing poems; poetical skill or faculty; as, the heavenly gift of poesy. [F. poésie (cf. It. poesia), L. poesis, from Gr. Posy.]
- operatic a.
- Of or pertaining to the opera or to operas; characteristic of, or resembling, the opera.
- johnny n.
- A familiar diminutive of John.
- curate n.
- One who has the cure souls; originally, any clergyman, but now usually limited to one who assist a rector or vicar Hook. [LL. curatus, prop., one who is charged with the care (L. cura) of souls. See Cure, n., and cf. Cur]
- frater n.
- A monk; also, a frater house. Shipley. Frater house, an apartament in a convent used as an eating room; a refectory; -- called also a fratery. [L., a brother.]
- unregenerated a.
- Not regenerated; not renewed in heart; remaining or being at enmity with God.
- absurdly adv.
- In an absurd manner.
- firstly adv.
- In the first place; before anything else; -- sometimes improperly used for first.
- secondly adv.
- In the second place.
- thirdly adv.
- In the third place.
- quoth v. t.
- Said; spoke; uttered; -- used only in the first and third persons in the past tenses, and always followed by its nominative, the word or words said being the object; as, quoth I. quoth he. [AS.cweedhan, imp cwæedh, pl. cwædon; akin to OS. queedhan, OHG. quethan, quedan, Icel. kveedha, Goth. qiþan. sq. root22. Cf. Bequeath.]
- henceforth adv.
- From this time forward; henceforward.
- thank n.
- A expression of gratitude; an acknowledgment expressive of a sense of favor or kindness received; obligation, claim, or desert, or gratitude; -- now generally used in the plural. [AS. Þanc, Þonc, thanks, favor, thought; akin to OS. thank favor, pleasure, thanks, D. & G. dank thanks, Icel. Þ\'94kk, Dan. tak, Sw. tack, Goth. Þagks thanks; -]
- bonny a.
- Handsome; beautiful; pretty; attractively lively and graceful. [OE. boni, prob. fr. F. bon, fem. bonne, good, fr. L. bonus good. See Bounty, and cf. Bonus, Boon.]
Definitions and etymologies from Webster's Unabridged Dictionary, 1913.
About this text
John and Freddy is in the public domain. This text is taken from The Bab Ballads, Project Gutenberg ebook #931; the transcription's header, footer and licence were removed and nothing else was changed. You may copy, print and reuse it freely.
Cite as: W. S. Gilbert, John and Freddy, in The Bab Ballads (1869), text of Project Gutenberg ebook #931, Laurel, https://laurelpoetry.com/poem/gilbert-bab-ballads/john-and-freddy.html, id L02365.
Form and metre
John and Freddy is 56 lines in 14 stanzas of 4 lines each. The rhyme scheme is ABAB, complete in 10 of its 14 stanzas. The metre is iambic tetrameter, measured from the stress the words themselves fix (confidence 92%). 95% of its stressed syllables fall where the metre puts the beat. The lines average 8.5 syllables. 23 lines end on an unstressed syllable, a feminine ending. 12% of the lines run on without a stop at the line end.
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 ABAB annA · freddyB · manA · unsteadyB
- 2 ABAB youthA · strongestB · truthA · longestB
- 3 A-A- strikeA · dresses · likeA · princess's
- 4 ABAB styleA · emB · smileA · buzzemB
- 5 -A-A pas · entrappingA · entrechats · flappingA
- 6 ABAB daysA · brotherB · waysA · t'otherB
- 7 A-A- sayA · moody · wayA · goody
- 8 ABAB frownA · fraterB · clownA · ayterB
- 9 ABAB doA · absurdlyB · trueA · thirdlyB
- 10 ABAB dancedA · heedingB · enhancedA · proceedingB
- 11 ABAB ruleA · unsteadyB · stoolA · freddyB
- 12 -A-A named · youA · said · youA
- 13 ABAB onA · readyB · johnA · freddyB
- 14 ABAB chapsA · bonnyB · perhapsA · johnnyB
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 |
|---|---|---|
| JOHN courted lovely MARY ANN, | 8 | ·/˘/˘/˘· |
| So likewise did his brother, FREDDY. | 9 | ·/···/˘/˘ |
| FRED was a very soft young man, | 8 | ···/˘··· |
| While JOHN, though quick, was most unsteady. | 9 | ······˘/˘ |
| FRED was a graceful kind of youth, | 8 | ···/˘··· |
| But JOHN was very much the strongest. | 9 | ···/˘··/˘ |
| “Oh, dance away,” said she, “in truth, | 8 | ··˘/···· |
| I’ll marry him who dances longest.” | 9 | ·/˘··/˘/˘ |
| JOHN tries the maiden’s taste to strike | 8 | ···/˘··· |
| With gay, grotesque, outrageous dresses, | 9 | ··˘/˘/˘/˘ |
| And dances comically, like | 8 | ·/˘/˘˘˘· |
| CLODOCHE AND CO., at the Princess’s. | 9 | ······/˘˘ |
| But FREDDY tries another style, | 8 | ·/˘·˘/˘· |
| He knows some graceful steps and does ’em— | 9 | ···/˘···· |
| A breathing Poem—Woman’s smile— | 8 | ·/˘/˘/˘· |
| A man all poesy and buzzem. | 9 | ···/˘˘··· |
| Now FREDDY’S operatic pas— | 8 | ·/˘·˘/˘· |
| Now JOHNNY’S hornpipe seems entrapping: | 9 | ·/˘/˘·˘/˘ |
| Now FREDDY’S graceful entrechats— | 8 | ·/˘/˘··· |
| Now JOHNNY’S skilful “cellar-flapping.” | 9 | ·/˘/˘/˘/˘ |
| For many hours—for many days— | 8 | ·//˘·/˘· |
| For many weeks performed each brother, | 9 | ·/˘·˘/·/˘ |
| For each was active in his ways, | 8 | ···/˘··· |
| And neither would give in to t’other. | 10 | ·/˘····˘/˘ |
| After a month of this, they say | 8 | ········ |
| (The maid was getting bored and moody) | 9 | ···/˘··/˘ |
| A wandering curate passed that way | 8 | ·/˘/˘··· |
| And talked a lot of goody-goody. | 9 | ·····/˘/˘ |
| “Oh my,” said he, with solemn frown, | 8 | ·····/˘· |
| “I tremble for each dancing frater, | 9 | ·/˘··/˘/˘ |
| Like unregenerated clown | 8 | ········ |
| And harlequin at some the-ayter.” | 8 | ·/˘····· |
| He showed that men, in dancing, do | 8 | ·····/˘· |
| Both impiously and absurdly, | 8 | ·····˘/˘ |
| And proved his proposition true, | 8 | ····˘/˘· |
| With Firstly, Secondly, and Thirdly. | 9 | ·/˘/˘˘·/˘ |
| For months both JOHN and FREDDY danced, | 8 | ·····/˘· |
| The curate’s protests little heeding; | 9 | ·/˘/·/˘/˘ |
| For months the curate’s words enhanced | 8 | ···/˘·˘/ |
| The sinfulness of their proceeding. | 9 | ······˘/˘ |
| At length they bowed to Nature’s rule— | 8 | ·····/˘· |
| Their steps grew feeble and unsteady, | 9 | ···/˘·˘/˘ |
| Till FREDDY fainted on a stool, | 8 | ·/˘/˘··· |
| And JOHNNY on the top of FREDDY. | 9 | ·/˘····/˘ |
| “Decide!” quoth they, “let him be named, | 8 | ˘/······ |
| Who henceforth as his wife may rank you.” | 9 | ·//······ |
| “I’ve changed my views,” the maiden said, | 8 | ·····/˘· |
| “I only marry curates, thank you!” | 9 | ·/˘/˘/˘·· |
| Says FREDDY, “Here is goings on! | 8 | ·/˘··/˘· |
| To bust myself with rage I’m ready.” | 9 | ···/···/˘ |
| “I’ll be a curate!” whispers JOHN— | 8 | ···/˘/˘· |
| “And I,” exclaimed poetic FREDDY. | 9 | ··˘/˘/˘/˘ |
| But while they read for it, these chaps, | 8 | ········ |
| The curate booked the maiden bonny— | 9 | ·/˘··/˘/˘ |
| And when she’s buried him, perhaps, | 8 | ···/˘·˘/ |
| She’ll marry FREDERICK or JOHNNY. | 8 | ·/˘/˘·/˘ |
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