Tommy
I went into a public-'ouse to get a pint o' beer,The publican 'e up an' sez, “We serve no red-coats here.”The girls be'ind the bar they laughed an' giggled fit to die,I outs into the street again an' to myself sez I:O it's Tommy this, an' Tommy that, an' “Tommy, go away”;But it's “Thank you, Mister Atkins”, when the band begins to play,The band begins to play, my boys, the band begins to play,O it's “Thank you, Mister Atkins”, when the band begins to play.
I went into a theatre as sober as could be,They gave a drunk civilian room, but 'adn't none for me;They sent me to the gallery or round the music-'alls,But when it comes to fightin', Lord! they'll shove me in the stalls!For it's Tommy this, an' Tommy that, an' “Tommy, wait outside”;But it's “Special train for Atkins” when the trooper's on the tide,The troopship's on the tide, my boys, the troopship's on the tide,O it's “Special train for Atkins” when the trooper's on the tide.
Yes, makin' mock o' uniforms that guard you while you sleepIs cheaper than them uniforms, an' they're starvation cheap;An' hustlin' drunken soldiers when they're goin' large a bitIs five times better business than paradin' in full kit.Then it's Tommy this, an' Tommy that, an' “Tommy, 'ow's yer soul?”But it's “Thin red line of 'eroes” when the drums begin to roll,The drums begin to roll, my boys, the drums begin to roll,O it's “Thin red line of 'eroes” when the drums begin to roll.
We aren't no thin red 'eroes, nor we aren't no blackguards too,But single men in barricks, most remarkable like you;An' if sometimes our conduck isn't all your fancy paints,Why, single men in barricks don't grow into plaster saints;While it's Tommy this, an' Tommy that, an' “Tommy, fall be'ind”,But it's “Please to walk in front, sir”, when there's trouble in the wind,There's trouble in the wind, my boys, there's trouble in the wind,O it's “Please to walk in front, sir”, when there's trouble in the wind.
You talk o' better food for us, an' schools, an' fires, an' all:We'll wait for extry rations if you treat us rational.Don't mess about the cook-room slops, but prove it to our faceThe Widow's Uniform is not the soldier-man's disgrace.For it's Tommy this, an' Tommy that, an' “Chuck him out, the brute!”But it's “Saviour of 'is country” when the guns begin to shoot;An' it's Tommy this, an' Tommy that, an' anything you please;An' Tommy ain't a bloomin' fool--you bet that Tommy sees!
Words in this poem
- went n.
- Course; way; path; journey; direction.
- tommy n.
- Bread, -- generally a penny roll; the supply of food carried by workmen as their daily allowance.
- 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; -]
- mister n.
- A trade, art, or occupation. [OF. mistier trade, office, ministry, need, F. métier trade, fr. L. ministerium service, office, ministry. See Ministry, Mystery trade.]
- theatre n.
- An edifice in which dramatic performances or spectacles are exhibited for the amusement of spectators; anciently uncovered, except the stage, but in modern times roofed. [F. thé\'83tre, L. theatrum, Gr. dhya to meditate, think. Cf. Theory.]
- civilian n.
- One skilled in the civil law. [From Civil]
- starvation n.
- The act of starving, or the state of being starved.
- chuck v. i.
- To make a noise resembling that of a hen when she calls her chickens; to cluck. [Imitative of the sound.]
- saviour n.
- One who saves, preserves, or delivers from destruction or danger. [OE. saveour, OF. salveor, F. sauveur, fr. L. salvator to save. See Save, v.]
Definitions and etymologies from Webster's Unabridged Dictionary, 1913.
About this text
Tommy 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, Tommy, in Barrack-Room Ballads (1892), text of Project Gutenberg ebook #2819, Laurel, https://laurelpoetry.com/poem/kipling-barrack-room/tommy.html, id L04486.
Form and metre
Tommy is 40 lines in 5 stanzas of 8 lines each. The rhyme scheme is AABBCCCC, complete in 4 of its 5 stanzas. The metre is iambic heptameter, measured from the stress the words themselves fix (confidence 87%). 96% of its stressed syllables fall where the metre puts the beat. The lines average 14.3 syllables. 1 line ends on an unstressed syllable, a feminine ending. 8% of the lines run on without a stop at the line end.
See other poems in iambic heptameter.
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 AABBCCCC beerA · hereA · dieB · iB · awayC · playC · playC · playC
- 2 AABBCCCC beA · meA · allsB · stallsB · outsideC · tideC · tideC · tideC
- 3 AABBCCCC sleepA · cheapA · bitB · kitB · soulC · rollC · rollC · rollC
- 4 AABBCCCC tooA · youA · paintsB · saintsB · be'indC · windC · windC · windC
- 5 AABBCCDD allA · rationalA · faceB · disgraceB · bruteC · shootC · pleaseD · seesD
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 heptameter. How this is done.
| Line | Syl. | Stress |
|---|---|---|
| I went into a public-'ouse to get a pint o' beer, | 14 | ·····/˘······· |
| The publican 'e up an' sez, “We serve no red-coats here.” | 14 | ·/˘˘·········· |
| The girls be'ind the bar they laughed an' giggled fit to die, | 14 | ·······˘·/˘··· |
| I outs into the street again an' to myself sez I: | 14 | ······˘/···/·· |
| O it's Tommy this, an' Tommy that, an' “Tommy, go away”; | 15 | ··/˘··/˘··/˘·˘/ |
| But it's “Thank you, Mister Atkins”, when the band begins to play, | 15 | ····/˘/˘···˘/·· |
| The band begins to play, my boys, the band begins to play, | 14 | ··˘/······˘/·· |
| O it's “Thank you, Mister Atkins”, when the band begins to play. | 15 | ····/˘/˘···˘/·· |
| I went into a theatre as sober as could be, | 14 | ·····/˘˘·/˘··· |
| They gave a drunk civilian room, but 'adn't none for me; | 13 | ····˘/˘······ |
| They sent me to the gallery or round the music-'alls, | 14 | ·····/˘˘···/˘· |
| But when it comes to fightin', Lord! they'll shove me in the stalls! | 14 | ·····/˘······· |
| For it's Tommy this, an' Tommy that, an' “Tommy, wait outside”; | 15 | ··/˘··/˘··/˘·// |
| But it's “Special train for Atkins” when the trooper's on the tide, | 15 | ··/˘··/˘··/˘··· |
| The troopship's on the tide, my boys, the troopship's on the tide, | 14 | ·············· |
| O it's “Special train for Atkins” when the trooper's on the tide. | 15 | ··/˘··/˘··/˘··· |
| Yes, makin' mock o' uniforms that guard you while you sleep | 14 | ·/˘··/˘······· |
| Is cheaper than them uniforms, an' they're starvation cheap; | 14 | ·/˘··/˘···˘/˘· |
| An' hustlin' drunken soldiers when they're goin' large a bit | 14 | ···/˘/˘··/˘··· |
| Is five times better business than paradin' in full kit. | 14 | ···/˘/˘······· |
| Then it's Tommy this, an' Tommy that, an' “Tommy, 'ow's yer soul?” | 15 | ··/˘··/˘··/˘··· |
| But it's “Thin red line of 'eroes” when the drums begin to roll, | 14 | ··········˘/·· |
| The drums begin to roll, my boys, the drums begin to roll, | 14 | ··˘/······˘/·· |
| O it's “Thin red line of 'eroes” when the drums begin to roll. | 14 | ··········˘/·· |
| We aren't no thin red 'eroes, nor we aren't no blackguards too, | 15 | ·/˘······/˘···· |
| But single men in barricks, most remarkable like you; | 14 | ·/˘··/˘·˘/˘˘·· |
| An' if sometimes our conduck isn't all your fancy paints, | 14 | ··˘//··/˘··/˘· |
| Why, single men in barricks don't grow into plaster saints; | 14 | ·/˘··/˘····/˘· |
| While it's Tommy this, an' Tommy that, an' “Tommy, fall be'ind”, | 14 | ··/˘··/˘··/˘·· |
| But it's “Please to walk in front, sir”, when there's trouble in the wind, | 15 | ··········/˘··· |
| There's trouble in the wind, my boys, there's trouble in the wind, | 14 | ·/˘······/˘··· |
| O it's “Please to walk in front, sir”, when there's trouble in the wind. | 15 | ··········/˘··· |
| You talk o' better food for us, an' schools, an' fires, an' all: | 14 | ···/˘······/·· |
| We'll wait for extry rations if you treat us rational. | 14 | ·····/˘····/˘˘ |
| Don't mess about the cook-room slops, but prove it to our face | 14 | ············/· |
| The Widow's Uniform is not the soldier-man's disgrace. | 14 | ·/˘/˘····/˘·˘/ |
| For it's Tommy this, an' Tommy that, an' “Chuck him out, the brute!” | 15 | ··/˘··/˘······· |
| But it's “Saviour of 'is country” when the guns begin to shoot; | 15 | ··/˘··/˘···˘/·· |
| An' it's Tommy this, an' Tommy that, an' anything you please; | 15 | ··/˘··/˘··/˘··· |
| An' Tommy ain't a bloomin' fool--you bet that Tommy sees! | 14 | ·/˘········/˘· |
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.