A Song of Instruction
The men that fought at Minden, they was rookies in their time--So was them that fought at Waterloo!All the 'ole command, yuss, from Minden to Maiwand,They was once dam' sweeps like you!
Then do not be discouraged, 'Eaven is your 'elper,We'll learn you not to forget;An' you mustn't swear an' curse, or you'll only catch it worse,For we'll make you soldiers yet!
The men that fought at Minden, they 'ad stocks beneath their chins,Six inch 'igh an' more;But fatigue it was their pride, and they would not be deniedTo clean the cook-'ouse floor.
The men that fought at Minden, they had anarchistic bombsServed to 'em by name of 'and-grenades;But they got it in the eye (same as you will by-an'-by)When they clubbed their field-parades.
The men that fought at Minden, they 'ad buttons up an' down,Two-an'-twenty dozen of 'em told;But they didn't grouse an' shirk at an hour's extry work,They kept 'em bright as gold.
The men that fought at Minden, they was armed with musketoons,Also, they was drilled by 'alberdiers;I don't know what they were, but the sergeants took good careThey washed be'ind their ears.
The men that fought at Minden, they 'ad ever cash in 'andWhich they did not bank nor save,But spent it gay an' free on their betters--such as me--For the good advice I gave.
The men that fought at Minden, they was civil--yuss, they was--Never didn't talk o' rights an' wrongs,But they got it with the toe (same as you will get it--so!)--For interrupting songs.
The men that fought at Minden, they was several other thingsWhich I don't remember clear;But that's the reason why, now the six-year men are dry,The rooks will stand the beer!
Then do not be discouraged, 'Eaven is your 'elper,We'll learn you not to forget;An' you mustn't swear an' curse, or you'll only catch it worse,For we'll make you soldiers yet!
Soldiers yet, if you've got it in you--All for the sake of the Core;Soldiers yet, if we 'ave to skin you--Run an' get the beer, Johnny Raw--Johnny Raw!Ho! run an' get the beer, Johnny Raw!
Words in this poem
- clubbed a.
- Shaped like a club; grasped like, or used as, a club. Skelton.
- johnny n.
- A familiar diminutive of John.
Definitions and etymologies from Webster's Unabridged Dictionary, 1913.
About this text
A Song of Instruction is in the public domain. This text is taken from Barrack-room ballads, Project Gutenberg ebook #2819; the transcription's header, footer and licence were removed and nothing else was changed. You may copy, print and reuse it freely.
Cite as: Rudyard Kipling, A Song of Instruction, in Barrack-Room Ballads (1892), text of Project Gutenberg ebook #2819, Laurel, https://laurelpoetry.com/poem/kipling-barrack-room/a-song-of-instruction.html, id L04505.
Form and metre
A Song of Instruction is 45 lines in 11 stanzas. 92% of its stressed syllables fall where the metre puts the beat. The lines average 10.3 syllables. 11% of the lines run on without a stop at the line end.
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 -A-A time · waterlooA · maiwand · youA
- 2 -A-A elper · forgetA · worse · yetA
- 3 -A-A chins · moreA · denied · floorA
- 4 -A-A bombs · grenadesA · by · paradesA
- 5 -A-A down · toldA · work · goldA
- 6 -A-A musketoons · alberdiersA · care · earsA
- 7 -A-A and · saveA · me · gaveA
- 8 -A-A was · wrongsA · so · songsA
- 9 -A-A things · clearA · dry · beerA
- 10 -A-A elper · forgetA · worse · yetA
- 11 A-ABB youA · core · youA · rawB · rawB
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. How this is done.
| Line | Syl. | Stress |
|---|---|---|
| The men that fought at Minden, they was rookies in their time-- | 14 | ·····/˘··/˘··· |
| So was them that fought at Waterloo! | 9 | ······/˘· |
| All the 'ole command, yuss, from Minden to Maiwand, | 12 | ···˘/··/˘··· |
| They was once dam' sweeps like you! | 7 | ······· |
| Then do not be discouraged, 'Eaven is your 'elper, | 13 | ····˘/˘······ |
| We'll learn you not to forget; | 7 | ·····˘/ |
| An' you mustn't swear an' curse, or you'll only catch it worse, | 14 | ··/˘·····/˘··· |
| For we'll make you soldiers yet! | 7 | ····/˘· |
| The men that fought at Minden, they 'ad stocks beneath their chins, | 14 | ·····/˘······· |
| Six inch 'igh an' more; | 5 | ····· |
| But fatigue it was their pride, and they would not be denied | 14 | ·˘/·········˘/ |
| To clean the cook-'ouse floor. | 6 | ······ |
| The men that fought at Minden, they had anarchistic bombs | 14 | ·····/˘······· |
| Served to 'em by name of 'and-grenades; | 9 | ·······˘/ |
| But they got it in the eye (same as you will by-an'-by) | 14 | ·············· |
| When they clubbed their field-parades. | 7 | ·····˘/ |
| The men that fought at Minden, they 'ad buttons up an' down, | 14 | ·····/˘··/˘··· |
| Two-an'-twenty dozen of 'em told; | 9 | ··/˘/˘··· |
| But they didn't grouse an' shirk at an hour's extry work, | 14 | ··/˘·····/˘··· |
| They kept 'em bright as gold. | 6 | ······ |
| The men that fought at Minden, they was armed with musketoons, | 14 | ·····/˘······· |
| Also, they was drilled by 'alberdiers; | 9 | /˘······· |
| I don't know what they were, but the sergeants took good care | 13 | ········/˘··· |
| They washed be'ind their ears. | 5 | ····· |
| The men that fought at Minden, they 'ad ever cash in 'and | 14 | ·····/˘··/˘··· |
| Which they did not bank nor save, | 7 | ······· |
| But spent it gay an' free on their betters--such as me-- | 13 | ········/˘··· |
| For the good advice I gave. | 7 | ···˘/·· |
| The men that fought at Minden, they was civil--yuss, they was-- | 14 | ·····/˘··/˘··· |
| Never didn't talk o' rights an' wrongs, | 9 | /˘/˘····· |
| But they got it with the toe (same as you will get it--so!)-- | 14 | ·············· |
| For interrupting songs. | 6 | ··˘/˘· |
| The men that fought at Minden, they was several other things | 14 | ·····/˘··/˘/˘· |
| Which I don't remember clear; | 7 | ···˘/˘· |
| But that's the reason why, now the six-year men are dry, | 13 | ···/˘········ |
| The rooks will stand the beer! | 6 | ······ |
| Then do not be discouraged, 'Eaven is your 'elper, | 13 | ····˘/˘······ |
| We'll learn you not to forget; | 7 | ·····˘/ |
| An' you mustn't swear an' curse, or you'll only catch it worse, | 14 | ··/˘·····/˘··· |
| For we'll make you soldiers yet! | 7 | ····/˘· |
| Soldiers yet, if you've got it in you-- | 9 | /˘······· |
| All for the sake of the Core; | 7 | ······· |
| Soldiers yet, if we 'ave to skin you-- | 11 | /˘···/˘˘··· |
| Run an' get the beer, Johnny Raw--Johnny Raw! | 11 | ·····/˘·/˘· |
| Ho! run an' get the beer, Johnny Raw! | 9 | ······/˘· |
The reader shows the same poem with its rhymes coloured and a stress row above each line, the notes beside their stanzas, and any word's definition on a tap; the analysis page takes the whole book apart. How every part of this site was made.