The Organ-Boy's Appeal
O SIGNOR BRODERIP, you are a wickid ole man,You wexis us little horgin-boys whenever you can:How dare you talk of Justice, and go for to seekTo pussicute us horgin-boys, you senguinary Beek?
Though you set in Vestminster surrounded by your crushers,Harrogint and habsolute like the Hortocrat of hall the Rushers,Yet there is a better vurld I'd have you for to know,Likewise a place vere the henimies of horgin-boys will go.
O you vickid HEROD without any pity!London vithout horgin-boys vood be a dismal city.Sweet SAINT CICILY who first taught horgin-pipes to blow,Soften the heart of this Magistrit that haggerywates us so!
Good Italian gentlemen, fatherly and kind,Brings us over to London here our horgins for to grind;Sends us out vith little vite mice and guinea-pigs alsoA popping of the Veasel and a Jumpin of JIM CROW.
And as us young horgin-boys is grateful in our turnWe gives to these kind gentlemen hall the money we earn,Because that they vood vop up as wery wel we knowUnless we brought our hurnings back to them as loves us so.
O MR. BRODERIP! wery much I'm surprise,Ven you take your valks abroad where can be your eyes?If a Beak had a heart then you'd compryendUs pore little horgin-boys was the poor man's friend.
Don't you see the shildren in the droring-roomsClapping of their little ands when they year our toons?On their mothers' bussums don't you see the babbies crowAnd down to us dear horgin-boys lots of apence throw?
Don't you see the ousemaids (pooty POLLIES and MARIES),Ven ve bring our urdigurdis, smiling from the hairies?Then they come out vith a slice o' cole puddn or a bit o' bacon or soAnd give it us young horgin-boys for lunch afore we go.
Have you ever seen the Hirish children sportWhen our velcome music-box brings sunshine in the Court?To these little paupers who can never paySurely all good horgin-boys, for GOD'S love, will play.
Has for those proud gentlemen, like a serting B--k(Vich I von't be pussonal and therefore vil not speak),That flings their parler-vinders hup von ve begin to playAnd cusses us and swears at us in such a wiolent way,
Instedd of their abewsing and calling hout PoleeceLet em send out JOHN to us vith six-pence or a shillin apiece.Then like good young horgin-boys avay from there we'll go,Blessing sweet SAINT CICILY that taught our pipes to blow.
Words in this poem
- signor n.
- Sir; Mr; -- a title of address or respect among the Italians. [It. See Seignior.]
- vere v. i.
- To change direction; to turn; to shift; as, wind veers to the west or north. [F. virer (cf. Sp. virar, birar), LL. virare; perhaps fr. L. vibrare to brandish, vibrate (cf. Vibrate); or cf. L. viriae armlets, bracelets, viriola a little br]
- dismal a.
- Fatal; ill-omened; unlucky. [Formerly a noun; e. g., "I trow it was in the dismalle." Chaucer. Of uncertain origin; but perh. (as suggested by Skeat) from OF. disme, F. dîme, tithe, the phr]
- fatherly a.
- Like a father in affection and care; paternal; tender; protecting; careful.
- popping
- a. & n. from Pop. Popping crease. (Cricket) See under Crease.
- cole n.
- A plant of the Brassica or Cabbage genus; esp. that form of B. [OE. col, caul, AS. cawl, cawel, fr. L. caulis, the stalk or stem of a plant, esp. a cabbage stalk, cabbage, akin to Gr. Cauliflower, Kale.]
- lunch n.
- A luncheon; specifically, a light repast between breakfast and dinner. [Of uncertain etymol. Cf. Prov. Eng. nunc a lump.]
- afore prep.
- Before (in all its senses).
- sunshine n.
- The light of the sun, or the place where it shines; the direct rays of the sun, the place where they fall, or the warmth and light which they give.
- apiece adv.
- Each by itself; by the single one; to each; as the share of each; as, these melons cost a shilling apiece. [Pref. a- + piece.]
Definitions and etymologies from Webster's Unabridged Dictionary, 1913.
About this text
The Organ-Boy's Appeal is in the public domain. This text is taken from Ballads, Project Gutenberg ebook #2732; the transcription's header, footer and licence were removed and nothing else was changed. You may copy, print and reuse it freely.
Cite as: William Makepeace Thackeray, The Organ-Boy's Appeal, in Ballads (1849–1855), text of Project Gutenberg ebook #2732, Laurel, https://laurelpoetry.com/poem/thackeray-ballads/the-organ-boy-s-appeal.html, id L10433.
Form and metre
The Organ-Boy's Appeal is 44 lines in 11 stanzas of 4 lines each. The rhyme scheme is AABB, complete in 7 of its 11 stanzas. The metre is trochaic heptameter, measured from the stress the words themselves fix (confidence 72%). 94% of its stressed syllables fall where the metre puts the beat. The lines average 13.1 syllables. 7 lines end on an unstressed syllable, a feminine ending. 30% of the lines run on without a stop at the line end.
See other poems in trochaic 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 AABB manA · canA · seekB · beekB
- 2 AABB crushersA · rushersA · knowB · goB
- 3 AABB pityA · cityA · blowB · soB
- 4 AA-- kindA · grindA · also · crow
- 5 AABB turnA · earnA · knowB · soB
- 6 AABB surpriseA · eyesA · compryendB · friendB
- 7 --AA rooms · toons · crowA · throwA
- 8 --AA maries · hairies · soA · goA
- 9 AABB sportA · courtA · payB · playB
- 10 A-AA kA · speak · playA · wayA
- 11 AABB poleeceA · apieceA · goB · blowB
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 trochaic heptameter. How this is done.
| Line | Syl. | Stress |
|---|---|---|
| O SIGNOR BRODERIP, you are a wickid ole man, | 13 | ·/˘·········· |
| You wexis us little horgin-boys whenever you can: | 14 | ····/˘···˘/˘·· |
| How dare you talk of Justice, and go for to seek | 12 | ·····/˘····· |
| To pussicute us horgin-boys, you senguinary Beek? | 14 | ·············· |
| Though you set in Vestminster surrounded by your crushers, | 14 | ·······˘/˘··/˘ |
| Harrogint and habsolute like the Hortocrat of hall the Rushers, | 17 | ···············/˘ |
| Yet there is a better vurld I'd have you for to know, | 13 | ····/˘······· |
| Likewise a place vere the henimies of horgin-boys will go. | 14 | /············· |
| O you vickid HEROD without any pity! | 12 | ····/˘··/˘/˘ |
| London vithout horgin-boys vood be a dismal city. | 14 | /˘········/˘/˘ |
| Sweet SAINT CICILY who first taught horgin-pipes to blow, | 12 | ··/˘········ |
| Soften the heart of this Magistrit that haggerywates us so! | 16 | /˘·············· |
| Good Italian gentlemen, fatherly and kind, | 10 | ·˘/˘/˘/˘·· |
| Brings us over to London here our horgins for to grind; | 13 | ····/˘·/····· |
| Sends us out vith little vite mice and guinea-pigs also | 14 | ····/˘···/˘·/˘ |
| A popping of the Veasel and a Jumpin of JIM CROW. | 14 | ·/˘··········· |
| And as us young horgin-boys is grateful in our turn | 13 | ········/˘·/· |
| We gives to these kind gentlemen hall the money we earn, | 13 | ·····/˘··/˘·· |
| Because that they vood vop up as wery wel we know | 13 | ········/˘··· |
| Unless we brought our hurnings back to them as loves us so. | 14 | ····/········· |
| O MR. BRODERIP! wery much I'm surprise, | 12 | ·/˘···/˘··˘/ |
| Ven you take your valks abroad where can be your eyes? | 12 | ·····˘/····· |
| If a Beak had a heart then you'd compryend | 10 | ·········· |
| Us pore little horgin-boys was the poor man's friend. | 12 | ··/˘········ |
| Don't you see the shildren in the droring-rooms | 11 | ··········· |
| Clapping of their little ands when they year our toons? | 12 | /˘··/˘····/· |
| On their mothers' bussums don't you see the babbies crow | 12 | ··/˘········ |
| And down to us dear horgin-boys lots of apence throw? | 13 | ············· |
| Don't you see the ousemaids (pooty POLLIES and MARIES), | 14 | ·········/˘·/˘ |
| Ven ve bring our urdigurdis, smiling from the hairies? | 14 | ···/····/˘··/˘ |
| Then they come out vith a slice o' cole puddn or a bit o' bacon or so | 18 | ··············/˘·· |
| And give it us young horgin-boys for lunch afore we go. | 14 | ··········˘/·· |
| Have you ever seen the Hirish children sport | 10 | ··/····/˘· |
| When our velcome music-box brings sunshine in the Court? | 13 | ·/··/˘··/···· |
| To these little paupers who can never pay | 10 | ··/˘/˘··/· |
| Surely all good horgin-boys, for GOD'S love, will play. | 12 | /˘·········· |
| Has for those proud gentlemen, like a serting B--k | 12 | ····/˘······ |
| (Vich I von't be pussonal and therefore vil not speak), | 13 | ············· |
| That flings their parler-vinders hup von ve begin to play | 14 | ···/˘·····˘/·· |
| And cusses us and swears at us in such a wiolent way, | 14 | ·/˘··········· |
| Instedd of their abewsing and calling hout Poleece | 13 | ········/˘··· |
| Let em send out JOHN to us vith six-pence or a shillin apiece. | 16 | ··············˘/ |
| Then like good young horgin-boys avay from there we'll go, | 13 | ············· |
| Blessing sweet SAINT CICILY that taught our pipes to blow. | 12 | /˘··/˘··/··· |
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.