Book I, Ch. 5.
‘Beside that cottage door, Mr. Boffin,’ from ‘The Soldier's Tear’
Alexander Lee
Beside that cottage porch
A girl was on her knees;
She held aloft a snowy scarf
Which fluttered in the breeze.
She breath'd a prayer for him,
A prayer he could not hear;
But he paused to bless her as she knelt,
And wip'd away a tear.
Book I, Ch. 15.
The gay, the gay and festive scene,
I'll tell thee how the maiden wept, Mrs. Boffin.
From ‘The Light Guitar.’ (See Index of Songs.)
Book I, Ch. 15.
‘Thrown on the wide world, doomed to wander and roam.’ From ‘The Peasant Boy’
J. Parry
Thrown on the wide world, doom'd to wander and roam,
Bereft of his parents, bereft of his home,
A stranger to pleasure, to comfort and joy,
Behold little Edmund, the poor Peasant Boy.
Book I, Ch. 15.
‘Weep for the hour.’ From ‘Eveleen's Bower’
T. Moore
Oh! weep for the hour
When to Eveleen's bower
The lord of the valley with false vows came.
Book I, Ch. 15.
‘Then farewell, my trim-built wherry.’ From ‘The Waterman’
C. Dibdin
Book II, Ch. 7.
‘Helm a-weather, now lay her close.’ From ‘The Tar for all Weathers’
Unknown
Book III, Ch. 6.
‘No malice to dread, sir.’ From verse 3 of ‘My Ain Fireside.’
Words by Mrs. E. Hamilton
Nae falsehood to dread, nae malice to fear,
But truth to delight me, and kindness to cheer;
O' a' roads to pleasure that ever were tried,
There's nane half so sure as one's own fireside.
My ain fireside, my ain fireside,
Oh sweet is the blink o' my ain fireside.
Book III, Ch. 6.
And you needn't, Mr. Venus, be your black bottle,
For surely I'll be mine,
And we'll take a glass with a slice of lemon in it, to which you're partial,
For auld lang syne.
A much altered version of verse 5 of Burns' celebrated song.
Book III, Ch. 6.
Charge, Chester, charge,
On Mr. Venus, on.
From Scott's Marmion.
Book IV, Ch. 3.
‘If you'll come to the bower I've shaded for you.’ From ‘Will you Come to the Bower’
T. Moore
Will you come to the Bower I've shaded for you,
Our bed shall be roses, all spangled with dew.
Will you, will you, will you, will you come to the Bower?
Will you, will you, will you, will you come to the Bower?
A LIST OF SONGS
AND
INSTRUMENTAL MUSIC MENTIONED BY DICKENS
WITH HISTORICAL NOTES
The figures in brackets denote the chapter in the novel referred to
A Cobbler There Was (D. & S. 2)
A cobbler there was, and he lived in a stall,
Which serv'd him for parlour, for kitchen and hall,
No coin in his pocket, nor care in his pate,
No ambition had he, nor no duns at his gate,
Derry down, down, down, derry down.
The melody appeared in Beggar's Opera, 1728, and Fashionable Lady, 1730.
A Frog He Would (P.P. 32)
The theme of the ballad belongs to the late sixteenth century.
A frog he would a-wooing go,
Heigho! said Rowley,
Whether his mother would let him or no,
With his rowly powly,
Gammon and spinnage,
O heigh! said Anthony Rowley.
We are told that Jack Hopkins sang ‘The King, God Bless Him,’ to a novel air, compounded of ‘The Bay of Biscay’ and ‘A Frog He Would.’ The latter was evidently the modern setting by C.E. Horn.
Alice Gray
See ‘Yet Lov'd I.’
All Hail to the Vessel of Pecksniff the Sire (M.C. 11)
Perhaps a parody on ‘All Hail to the Chief.’
All in the Downs (P.P. 3)
See ‘Black-Eyed Susan.’
All's Well (O.C.S. 56).
See p. 125.
Duet in The English Fleet.
(T. Dibdin)J. Braham.
Deserted by the waning moon,
When skies proclaim night's cheerless gloom,
On tower, fort, or tented ground,
The sentry walks his lonely round;
And should a footstep haply stray
Where caution marks the guarded way,
Who goes there? Stranger, quickly tell,
A friend. The word? Good-night. All's well.
And She Shall Walk (O.C.S. 66)
Words by Susan Blamire.
And ye shall walk in silk attire,
And siller ha'e to spare,
Gin ye'll consent to be my bride,
Nor think on Donald mair.
Susan Blamire was born at Carden Hall, near Carlisle. Very few of her poems were published under her own name, as well-born ladies of those days disliked seeing their names published as authors. ‘The Siller Crown,’ from which this verse is taken, is in the Cumberland dialect. It first appeared anonymously in the Scots Musical Museum, 1790, and the authorship was subsequently settled by members of the family.
And You Needn't, Mr. Venus, be Your Black Bottle (O.M.F.).
See p. 134.
A Stiff Nor'-Wester's Blowing, Bill (D. & S. 49)
From ‘The Sailor's Consolation.’
One night came on a hurricane,
The seas were mountains rolling,
When Barney Buntline turned his quid,
And said to Billy Bowling,
A stiff Nor'-Wester's blowing, Bill,
Hark, don't you hear it roar now?
Lord help 'em! how I pity's all
Unhappy folk ashore now.
Mr. Kidson says in reference to this: ‘I do not know that it was ever written to music, though I fancy more than one popular tune has been set to the words, which are by a person named Pitt.’
Auld Lang Syne (‘Holly Tree,’ D.C. 17, 28)
Words by Burns.
A version of the melody occurs at the end of the overture to Shield's Rosina, 1783, and is either his own composition or an imitation of some Scotch melody. As, however, such melody has not hitherto been discovered, no great importance can be attached to this theory. Rosina was performed in Edinburgh.
Some maintain that the tune is taken from a Scotch reel known as the ‘Miller's Wedding,’ found in Bremner's Reels (1757–1761).
Away With Melancholy (O.C.S. 58, O.M.F. ii. 6, P.P. 44, D.C. 8)
The melody is from Mozart's Magic Flute, ‘Das klinget so herrlich’—a chorus with glockenspiel accompaniment. The writer of the words is unknown.
The air was introduced into an arrangement of Shakespeare's Tempest, and set to the words ‘To moments so delighting!’ sung by Miss Stephens. Also found as a duet ‘composed by Sigr. Mozart, arranged by F.A. Hyde.’
Bay of Biscay (U.T. 31, D. & S. 39, P.P. 32)
Words by Andrew Cherry.
J. Davy.
Also see under ‘A Frog He Would.’
Beethoven's Sonata in B.
See p. 28.
Begone, Dull Care (O.C.S. 7, E.D. 2)
Author unknown. The words occur in various song-books of the eighteenth century. The tune is seventeenth century, possibly derived from the ‘Queen's Jigg’ in the Dancing Master.
Begone, dull care, I prithee begone from me;
Begone, dull care, you and I can never agree.
The words were set as a glee by John Sale, and this may be the music that Dickens knew.
Believe Me, if All Jarley's Waxworks so Rare (O.C.S. 27)
A parody on the following.
Believe Me, if all Those Endearing Young Charms (B.H. 55)
Words by T. Moore.
Set to the old melody ‘My Lodging is on the Cold Ground.’ This appears to have come into existence about the middle of the eighteenth century. It is found in Vocal Music, or the Songster's Companion, 1775, and it was claimed by Moore to be an Irish melody, but some authorities deny this. It has also been claimed as Scotch, but the balance of opinion is in favour of its English origin (F. Kidson).
Beside that Cottage Door, Mr. Boffin (O.M.F.)
See p. 133.
Bid Me Discourse (S.B.T. 4)
Words adapted from Shakespeare's Venus and Adonis.
H.R. Bishop.
Bird Waltz (D. & S. 29, 38)
Panormo.
A very popular piano piece of the pre-Victorian period.
Black-eyed Susan (A.N.), or All in the Downs (P.P. 3)
Words by John Gay.
R. Leveridge.
This song was printed in sheet form previous to 1730, in which year it appeared in Watts' Musical Miscellany, Vol. IV., and was also inserted about that time in several ballad operas.
Bold Turpin Vunce (P.P. 43)
Mr. Frank Kidson has pointed out that Sam Weller's song is founded upon a ballad entitled ‘Turpin and the Bishop,’ which appears in Gaieties and Gravities, by one of the authors of Rejected Addresses. The author is said to be Horatio Smith. There is a good four-part setting of the words by Sir F. Bridge.
Brave Lodgings for One (P.P. 29)
Original.
British Grenadiers (B.H. 49)
The tune as we know it now is the growth of centuries, the foundation probably being a tune in The Fitzwilliam Virginal Book. The Grenadiers were founded in 1678. The second verse refers to ‘hand grenades,’ and the regiment ceased to use these in the reign of Queen Anne. The author is unknown.
Britons, Strike Home (S.L.)
The well-known song in Purcell's Bonduca gave its name to an opera by Charles Dibdin, published in 1803. This work probably suggested the phrase to Dickens. It was written with a view to arousing a patriotic feeling. The following verse occurs in the work:
When Dryden wrote and Purcell sung
Britons, strike home,
The patriot-sounds re-echoing rung
The vaulted dome.
Buffalo Gals (Letters)
See p. 10.
By the Sad Sea Waves (Letters)
Julius Benedict.
A once popular song from the opera The Brides of Venice.
Cheer, Boys, Cheer (U.T. 29)
Words by Charles Mackay.
Henry Russell.
Cheer! boys, cheer! no more of idle sorrow—
Courage! true hearts shall bear us on our way,
Hope points before, and shows the bright to-morrow,
Let us forget the darkness of to-day.
One of Russell's most popular songs. He sold the copyright for £3, and shortly afterwards learnt that the publisher had to keep thirty-nine presses at work on it night and day to meet the demand.
Copenhagen Waltz (D. & S. 7)
Also known as the Danish Waltz.
Dead March.
From the oratorio Saul.
Handel.
See p. 61.
Death of Nelson (D.C. 52, D. & S. 48, O.M.F. iv. 3)
See p. 116.
J. Braham.
Too well the gallant hero fought,
For England, home, and beauty.
Di Piacer (S.B.T. 1)
Rossini.
A favourite air from the opera La Gazza Ladra.
Downfall of Paris
See p. 31.
Dragon of Wantley (D.C. 38)
An eighteenth-century popular burlesque opera.
Words by H. Carey, music by Lampe.
Drink to Me Only With Thine Eyes (O.M.F. iii. 14)
Words by Ben Jonson.
The composer is unknown. The air was originally issued as a glee for three voices.
Dumbledumdeary (S.B.S. 10)
A refrain rarely found in old songs. It occurs in ‘Richard of Taunton Dean.’ Also (as in the reference) the name of a dance.
Evening Bells (D.C. 38)
Duet by G. Alexander Lee.
Come away, come away, evening bells are ringing,
Sweetly, sweetly; 'tis the vesper hour.
Fare Thee Well, and if For Ever (O.C.S. 58)
Words by Byron.
Included in ‘Domestic Pieces.’
Fare thee well, and if for ever,
Still for ever, fare thee well;
Even though unforgiving, never
'Gainst thee shall my heart rebel.
About 1825 the words were set to an air from Mozart's La Clemenza di Tito. There are original settings by Parke, S. Webbe, and six other composers.
Fill the Bumper Fair (N.T.)
Moore's Irish Melodies, air ‘Bob and Joan.’
Flow On, Thou Shining River (S.B.T. 1)
Moore's National Melodies.
Said to be a ‘Portuguese Air.’ The melody has been utilized as a hymn-tune.
Fly, Fly from the World, My Bessy, With Me (S.B.S. 2)
Words and music by T. Moore.
For England
See ‘Death of Nelson.’
For England, Home, and Beauty
See ‘Death of Nelson.’
For the Port of Barbados, Boys (D. & S. 15)
Original (?) See p. 122.
From Sport to Sport (O.C.S. 58)
From ‘Oh no, we never mention her.’
Words by T.H. Bayly.
H.R. Bishop.
From sport to sport they hurry me,
To banish my regret;
And when they win a smile from me,
They think that I forget.
Gee Up, Dobbin (D.C. 12)
In the Burney Collection is a tune ‘Gee Ho, Dobbin.’ Also in Apollo's Cabinet, 1757, Vol. II, and Love in a Village, 1762. The tune was frequently used for ephemeral songs.
It is doubtful if Dickens would know this song, the title of which has passed into a common phrase.
Glorious Apollo (O.C.S. 13, 56)
S. Webbe.
The title of this glee probably suggested the name of the ‘Glorious Apollers.’ See p. 124.
Go Where Glory Waits Thee (M.C. 11)
(‘Do they often go where glory waits 'em?’ O.C.S. 58)
Moore's Irish Melodies, set to the air ‘Maid of the Valley.’
God Bless the Prince of Wales (U.T. 29)
Words by J. Ceiriog Hughes.
Trans, by G. Linley.
H. Brinley Richards, 1862.
God Bless You, Merry Gentlemen (C.C.)
Origin unknown. The second word should be ‘rest,’ and the correct reading is
God rest you merry, gentlemen.
God Save the King (S.B.S. 19, &c.) God Save the Queen (M.C. 29)
It is unnecessary here to discuss the origin and sources of this air. The form in which we know it is probably due to Henry Carey, and the first recorded public performance was on September 28, 1745.
Had I a Heart for Falsehood Framed (D. & S. 14)
Words by R.B. Sheridan.
Sung by Mr. Leoni (see Choir, May, 1912).
In the Duenna, 1775. Set to the air now known as ‘The Harp that once through Tara's Halls.’
Moore, in his Irish Melodies, calls the melody ‘Gramachree.’
Hail Columbia (M.C. 13, A.N.)
Mr. Elson (National Music of America) says that the music was originally known as the ‘President's March,’ probably by a German composer. The words were subsequently adapted to the air by Dr. Joseph Hopkinson.
Harmonious Blacksmith (G.E. 21)
From Handel's Suite de Pieces pour le Clavecin, Set I.
See p. 19.
Has She Then Failed in Her Truth (N.N. 49)
Anon.
H.R. Bishop.
And has she then failed in her truth,
The beautiful maid I adore?
Shall I never again hear her voice,
Nor see her lov'd form any more?
Heart of Oak (B.R. 7, E.D. 12, U.T. 20, parody)
Words by D. Garrick.
W. Boyce.
It is important to notice that the correct title is as given, and not ‘Hearts of Oak.’
Helm a Weather, Now Lay Her Close (O.M.F.)
See p. 133.
How Doth the Little— (Ch.)
Dr. Watts.
See p. 79.
I am a Friar of Orders Grey (S.B.S. 8) (Out of Season)
Words by John O'Keefe.
Wm. Reeve.
Appeared in Merry Sherwood, 1795.
I Care Not For Spring
See p. 99.
I'd Crowns Resign, To Call Her Mine (D.C. 25)
‘Lass of Richmond Hill.’
Words by L. MacNally.
J. Hook.
I'd crowns resign, to call her mine,
Sweet lass of Richmond Hill.
For a long time there was a dispute between the partisans of Surrey and Yorkshire as to which ‘Richmond Hill’ was referred to. The former county was the favourite for a long time, till a communication in Notes and Queries (10th series iii. p. 290) pulverized its hopes and definitely placed the locality in Yorkshire.
If I Had a Donkey (O.C.S. 27)
See p. 95.
If You'll Come to the Bower (O.M.F.)
See p. 134.
I'll Tell Thee How the Maiden Wept (O.M.F.)
See p. 133.
In Hurry, Post Haste for a Licence (P.P. 10)
See p. 90.
I Saw Her at the Fancy Fair (S.B.T. 11)
I Saw Thy Show in Youthful Prime (O.C.S. 27)
Moore's Irish Melodies, air ‘Domhnall.’
I saw thy form in youthful prime,
Nor thought that pale decay
Would steal before the steps of time,
And waste its bloom away, Mary.
Isle of the Brave and Land of the Free (M.J.)
Original.
It May Lighten and Storm (M.C. 42)
Possibly from some old ballad opera, but more probably original.
Jack's Delight (to) His Lovely Nan (D.C. 11)
Words and music by C. Dibdin.
From ‘Lovely Nan.’ Last two lines:
But oh, much sweeter than all these,
Is Jack's delight, his lovely Nan.
Jim Crow (A.N.)
Unknown.
See p. 97.
I come from old Kentucky,
A long time ago,
Where I first larn to wheel about,
And jump Jim Crow;
Wheel about and turn about,
And do jis so,
Eb'ry time I wheel about,
I jump Jim Crow.
Jolly Young Waterman (It., P.P. 33)
Words and music by C. Dibdin in The Waterman.
King Death (B.H. 33)
Words by Barry Cornwall.
Neukomm.
King Death was a rare old fellow,
He sat where no sun could shine,
And he lifted his hand so yellow,
And pour'd out his coal-black wine.
Hurrah for the coal-black wine!
John Leech used to sing ‘King Death,’ and it was of his voice that Jerrold once remarked, ‘I say, Leech, if you had the same opportunity of exercising your voice as you have of using your pencil, how it would draw!’
Lesbia Hath a Beaming Eye (Letter to Lemon)
Words by Moore.
Set to the delightfully gay air ‘Nora Creina.’
Lesbia hath a beaming eye,
But no one knows for whom it beameth,
Right and left its arrows fly,
But what they aim at no one dreameth!
Listen to the Waterfall (B.H. 32)
Lord Mornington.
From the glee ‘Here in cool grot.’
Little Taffline (D.C. 28)
Words by Prince Hoare.
S. Storace.
In the opera Three and The Deuce, produced in 1806.
There is a character ‘Little Taffline’ in T. Dibdin's St. David's Day, music composed and compiled by Attwood. There is another setting said to be ‘composed by J. Parry,’ but it is merely an altered form of the original.
Lovely Peg (D. & S. 10)
See pp. 117–119.
Marseillaise (M.C. 15, E.D. 2, L.D. 2)
Rouget de Lisle.
For brief history see The Choir (Nov., 1911)
Masaniello (S.B.T. 9)
Opera by Auber.
See p. 26.
May We Ne'er Want a Friend (D. & S. 15)
See ‘Since the first dawn of reason.’
Men of Prometheus (S.B.T. 9)
See p. 26.
This was the name given to the first edition of Beethoven's ballet music to Prometheus, composed in 1800.
Miss Wackles, I Believed You True (O.C.S. 8)
‘Mary, I believed thee true,’ Moore (one of his ‘Juvenile Poems’).
Mary, I believed thee true,
And I was blest in so believing,
But now I mourn that e'er I knew
A girl so fair and so deceiving!
It has been suggested that these words were adapted and sung to the Scotch air ‘Gala Water.’
My Boat is on the Shore (G.S.) (D.C. 54, Letters)
Words by Lord Byron.
Bishop.
See p. 12.
Also set by W. Cratherne.
My Feelings I Smother (O.C.S. 36)
See ‘We met.’
My Heart's in the Highlands (O.C.S. 2, S.B.S. 2)
Words partly by Burns.
In Captain Fraser's Airs Peculiar to the Scottish Highlands, 1816.
There is a parody by Dickens (see Forster's Life, ch. 8).
Never Leave off Dancing (D.C. 41)
Said to be the subject of a French song.
No Malice to Dread, Sir (O.M.F.)
See p. 134.
Non Nobis (S.B.S. 19)
This celebrated canon, by Byrd, has been performed at public dinners from time immemorial. It also used to be performed at the Theatre Royal, Covent Garden.
Now's the Day, and Now's the Hour (D.C. 54)
Verse 2 of ‘Scots, Wha Hae’ (Burns).
Now's the day, and now's the hour,
See the front o' battle lour,
See approach proud Edward's power,
Chains and slaverie.
Of All the Girls That Are so Smart (O.C.S. 50)
Words and music by Henry Carey.
Carey composed his melody in 1715. It soon became popular, but owing to the similarity of certain phrases to those of an older tune known as ‘The Country Lass,’ the two gradually got mixed up, with the result that the latter became the recognized setting.
Off She Goes (S.B.T. 7)
A once popular dance air.
Oft in the Stilly Night (S.B.S. 13)
From T. Moore's National Airs, set to an air possibly of Scotch origin. There are also settings by Stevenson and Hullah.
Oh Blame Not the Bard (O.C.S. 35)
Words by T. Moore.
In Irish Melodies. Set to the tune ‘Kitty Tyrrel.’
Oh Give Me But My Arab Steed (O.C.S. 21)
Words by T.H. Bayly.
G.A. Hodson.
Written in 1828. Sung by Braham.
Oh give me but my Arab steed,
My prince defends his right,
And I will to the battle speed,
To guard him in the fight.
Oh Cheerily, Cheerily (D. & S. 32)
Original, but a refrain similar to this is not uncommon in old sea songs.
Oh Lady Fair (G.E. 13)
Trio by Moore.
See ‘Strew then, Oh strew.’
Oh Let us Love Our Occupations (Ch.)
Original lines by Dickens. ‘Set to music on the new system,’ probably refers to Hullah's method (c. 1841), or possibly the Tonic Sol-fa (c. 1843), see p. 17.
Oh Landsmen are Folly (H.R.)
Original.
Old Clem (G.E. 12, 15)
A custom prevailed at Chatham of holding a procession on St. Clement's day, and the saint, who was irreverently designated ‘Old Clem,’ was personated by a young smith disguised for the occasion.
Dickens frequently writes a verse in the form of prose, and this is an example. Written out properly, it reads thus:
Hammer boys round—Old Clem,
With a thump and a sound—Old Clem,
Beat it out, beat it out—Old Clem,
With a cluck for the stout—Old Clem,
Blow the fire, blow the fire—Old Clem,
Roaring drier, soaring higher—Old Clem.
Old King Cole (O.C.S. 58, P.P. 36)
The personality of this gentleman has never been settled. Chappell suggests he was ‘Old Cole,’ a cloth-maker of Reading temp. Henry I. Wardle's carol ‘I care not for spring’ (P.P. 36) was adapted to this air, and printed in How's Illustrated Book of British Song.
Over the Hills and Far Away (Dr. M., M.C. 36)
An old saying, both in song and as a phrase. It occurs in two songs in D'Urfey's Pills to Purge Melancholy, 1709, one of which is,
Tom he was a piper's son,
He learned to play when he was young;
But all the tune that he could play
Was over the hills and far away.(Vol. iv.)
Doctor Marigold's version is probably original:
North and South and West and East,
Winds liked best and winds liked least,
Here and there and gone astray,
Over the hills and far away.
Over the Water to Charlie (O.C.S. 27)
Tune in Johnson's Musical Museum, Vol. II, 1788.
Come boat me o'er, come row me o'er,
Come boat me o'er to Charlie,
I'll gie John Brown another half-crown,
To boat me o'er to Charlie;
We'll o'er the water, we'll o'er the sea,
We'll o'er the water to Charlie,
Come weal, come woe, we'll gather and go,
And live or die wi' Charlie.
Another Jacobite song was the cause of an amusing incident at Edinburgh. On the occasion of one of his visits there Dickens went to the theatre, and he and his friends were much amazed and amused by the orchestra playing ‘Charlie is my darling’ amid tumultuous shouts of delight.
Paul and Virginia (S.B.T. 7, L.D. 13)
J. Mazzinghi.
The popular duet from this opera ‘See from ocean rising’ was sung by Mr. Johnstone and Mr. Incledon. See p. 91.
Polly Put the Kettle On (B.R. 24)
An old country dance.
Red Ruffian, Retire! (S.B.C. 8)
Probably an imaginary title, invented by Dickens.
Rule Britannia (D. & S. 4, 39, U.T. 2, M.C. 11, 17, A.N., D.C. 8)
Words by Thomson or Mallet.
Arne.
First appeared in print at the end of the masque The Judgement of Paris, but it was composed for the masque of Alfred, which was first performed on August 1, 1740. See Musical Times, April, 1900.
Sally in Our Alley
See ‘Of all the girls.’
Satan Finds Some Mischief Still (D.C. 16)
See p. 80.
Dr. Watts.
See from Ocean Rising (S.B.T. 7)
See Paul and Virginia.
She's All My Fancy Painted Her (O.C.S. 7)
(‘Alice Gray.’)
See ‘Yet lov'd I.’
She's Like the Red, Red Rose (O.C.S. 8)
Burns revised the words from an old song.
The music is in Caledonian Pocket Companion, Bk. VII, 1754, under the name ‘Low Down in the Broom.’
Shivery Shakey, Ain't It Cold (Dr. M.)
See p. 94.
Since Laws Were Made for Every Degree (O.C.S. 66, L.D. ii. 12)
Tyburn Tree.
Since laws were made for ev'ry degree
To curb vice in others as well as me,
I wonder we han't better company
Upon Tyburn Tree.
From Beggar's Opera. Words by Gay.
Set to the tune of ‘Greensleeves,’ which dates from 1580. This tune is twice mentioned by Shakespeare in The Merry Wives of Windsor. An earlier ‘Tyburn’ version is a song entitled ‘A Warning to False Traitors,’ which refers to the execution of six people at ‘Tyborne’ on August 30, 1588.
Since the First Dawn of Reason
J. Davy.
See p. 120.
Song About a Sparkling Bowl (Ch.)
There are several songs of this nature, such as ‘The Flowing Bowl’ (‘Fill the bowl with sparkling nectar’). Another began ‘Fill, fill the bowl with sparkling wine.’
Song About the Slumbering Echoes in the Cavern of Memory (D.C. 33)
Not at present traced.
Strew Then, Oh Strew a Bed of Rushes (O.C.S. 65)
Words and music by Moore.
From the glee ‘Holy be the Pilgrim's Sleep,’ which is a sequel to ‘Oh Lady Fair’ (q.v.).
Moore wrote two inane songs, entitled ‘Holy be the Pilgrim's Sleep’ and ‘Oh Lady Fair.’ For both pilgrim and lady arrangements are made for spending the night somewhere, and in each song occur the words
Strew then, oh strew his [our] bed of rushes,
Here he shall [we must] rest till morning blushes.
Tamaroo (M.C. 32)
Said to be taken from an English ballad in which it is supposed to express the bold and fiery nature of a certain hackney coachman.
According to Notes and Queries (x. 1), this was sung at Winchester School some seventy or eighty years ago. The following is quoted as the first verse:
Ben he was a coachman rare
(‘Jarvey! Jarvey!’ ‘Here I am, yer honour’),
Crikey! how he used to swear!
How he'd swear, and how he'd drive,
Number two hundred and sixty-five.
Tamaroo! Tamaroo! Tamaroo!
Dr. Sweeting, the present music-master at Winchester, says, ‘The song “Tamaroo” is quite unknown here now, and if it was sung here seventy or eighty years ago, I should imagine that that was only because it was generally well known. Dickens' allusion to it seems to suggest that it was a song he had heard, and he utilized its character to label one of his characters in his own fanciful way.’
Tarry Trousers (D. & S. 39)
An old folk-song. A mother wants her daughter to marry a tailor, and not wait for her sailor bold, telling her that it is quite time she was a bride. The daughter says:
My mother wants me to wed with a tailor,
And not give me my heart's delight,
But give me the man with the tarry trousers,
That shine to me like diamonds bright.
Tell Me, Shepherds (E.D. 2)
Mazzinghi.
Glee. ‘Ye Shepherds, tell me’ (or ‘The Wreath’).
The Brave Old Oak (S.B.S. 2.)
Words by H.F. Chorley.
E.J. Loder.
A song for the oak, the brave old oak,
Who hath ruled in the greenwood long;
Here's health and renown to his broad green crown,
And his fifty arms so strong!
The Bull in the China Shop
See p. 111.
The Cherub That Sits Up Aloft (U.T. 5)
From ‘Poor Jack.’
C. Dibdin.
For d'ye see, there's a cherub sits smiling aloft
To keep watch for the life of Poor Jack.(Last two lines of verse 3.)
The Cordial That Sparkled for Helen (O.C.S. 61)
Moore's Irish Melodies.
The Dashing White Sergeant (D.C. 28)
Words by General Burgoyne.
H.R. Bishop.
If I had a beau, for a soldier who'd go,
Do you think I'd say no? No, no, not I.
The Gay, the Gay and Festive Season (O.M.F.)
See ‘The Light Guitar.’
The Great Sea Snake
Set to the air ‘Rampant Moll.’
Perhaps you have all of you heard of a yarn
Of a famous large sea snake,
That once was seen off the Isle Pitcairn
And caught by Admiral Blake.
See p. 16.
The Ivy Green (P.P. 6.)
Words by Dickens. The most popular musical setting is that by Henry Russell.
The Light Guitar (S.B.T. 1, O.C.S.)
Barnett.
Oh leave the gay and festive scene,
The halls of dazzling light,
And rove with me through forests green
Beneath the silent night.
The Miller of the Dee (O.M.F. ii. 1)
Words, c. 1762.
Tune, 1728.
Referring to a disused boiler and a great iron wheel, Dickens says they are
Like the Miller of questionable jollity in the song. They cared for Nobody, no not they, and Nobody cared for them.
The air is found in The Quaker's Opera, 1728.
The Ratcatcher's Daughter (Out of Season)
See p. 98.
The Seven Ages (S.B.S. 14)
The Soldier, Tired (S.B.C. 4)
Arne.
Dr. Arne translated the words from the Artaserse of Metastasio. This song was the great ‘show song’ for sopranos for many years. It was originally sung by Miss Brent.
The soldier, tired of war's alarms,
Forswears the clang of hostile arms,
And scorns the spear and shield;
But if the brazen trumpet sound,
He burns with conquest to be crowned,
And dares again the field.
The Woodpecker Tapping (D.C. 36, L.D. 35, S.B.T. 1, M.C. 25)
Words by Moore.
M. Kelly.
Every leaf was at rest, and I heard not a sound
But the woodpecker tapping the hollow beech-tree.
The Young May Moon
See p. 131.
Then Farewell, My Trim-Built Wherry (O.M.F.)
See p. 133.
There Let 'em Be, Merry and Free, Toor-rul-lal-la (O.C.S. 56)
Probably original.
Though Lost to Sight, to Memory Dear (D. & S. 48)
Words and music by G. Linley.
Tho' lost to sight, to mem'ry dear
Thou ever wilt remain,
One only hope my heart can cheer:
The hope to meet again.
Thrown on the Wide World (O.M.F.)
See p. 133.
Time of Day (S.B.C. 8)
See p. 92.
'Tis the Voice of the Sluggard (M.C. 9)
Dr. Watts.
'Twas Ever Thus From Childhood's Hour (O.C.S. 56, D.C. 38)
(‘Oh ever,’ &c.)
Words by Moore.
From ‘Lalla Rookh.’ Has been set to music by S. Glover, E. Souper, and Verini.
Villikens and His Dinah
Sung by Mr. Robson and by S. Cowell.
Composer unknown.
A very popular song 1850–1860.
It's of a liquor merchant who in London did dwell,
He had but one darter, a beautiful gal.
Her name it was Dinah, just sixteen years old,
And she had a large fortune in silver and gold.
To my too-ral-lal loo-ral-li loo-ral-li-day.
Wapping Old Stairs (U.T. 3)
J. Percy.
Weep for the Hour (O.M.F.)
See p. 133.
We Met (O.C.S. 36, S.B.T. 11)
T.H. Bayly.
The story of a girl who was compelled by her mother to jilt her true love and marry some one else. The story ends with the words misquoted by Swiveller:
The world may think me gay,
For my feelings I smother—
Oh! thou hast been the cause
Of this anguish, my mother!
We're a'Noddin' (B.H. 39)
Anonymous.
A once popular Scotch song.
O we're a' noddin, nid nid noddin,
O we're a' noddin at our house at home;
How's o' wi' ye, kimmer? And how do ye thrive,
And how many bairns hae ye now? Bairns I hae five.
We Won't Go Home Till Morning (P.P. 7)
Said in the London Singer's Magazine (c. 1839) to be written and composed by C. Blondel (‘adapted and arranged’ might be more correct). The tune is founded on an air known as Malbrough, or Malbrook, which originated during the Duke of Marlborough's campaign, 1704–1709, known as ‘The War of the Spanish Succession.’
What Are the Wild Waves Saying?
Words by J.E. Carpenter.
Stephen Glover.
This duet was founded upon the question little Paul Dombey asks his sister:
I want to know what it says—the sea, Floy, what is it that it keeps on saying?
When He Who Adores Thee (O.C.S. 35)
Words by Moore.
In Irish Melodies to the air ‘The Fox's Sleep.’
When I Went to Lunnon Town, Sirs (G.E. 15)
Probably original. The nearest I have found to it is—
The Astonished Countryman, or, a Bustling Picture of London.
When first I came to London Town,
How great was my surprise,
Thought I, the world's turned upside down,
Such wonders met my eyes.
And in The Universal Songster—
When I arrived in London Town,
I got my lesson pat, &c.
When in Death I Shall Calm Recline
Moore's Irish Melodies.
In 1833 Dickens wrote a travesty called O' Thello, in which is a humorous solo of eight lines, to be sung to the air to which the above is set.
When Lovely Woman Stoops to Folly (O.C.S. 56)
‘Do my pretty Olivia,’ cried she, ‘let us have that little melancholy air your papa was so fond of; your sister Sophy has already obliged us. Do, child, it will please your old father.’ She complied in a manner so exquisitely pathetic, as moved me.
When lovely woman stoops to folly,
And finds, too late, that men betray,
What charm can soothe her melancholy?
What art can wash her guilt away?(Goldsmith's Vicar of Wakefield, ch. xxiv.)
When the Heart of a Man (D.C. 24, O.M.F. iii. 14)
Words by Gay (Beggar's Opera). Set to a seventeenth-century air.
If the heart of a man is depressed with care,
The mist is dispelled when a woman appears,
Like the notes of a fiddle she sweetly, sweetly
Raises our spirits and charms our ears.
When the Stormy Winds (D.C. 21, D. & S. 23)
Words by Campbell, who may have taken them from an earlier source. See ‘You Gentlemen of England.’
White Sand (L.D. i. 32)
An old glee. See p. 106.
Who Passes by This Road so Late (L.D. i. 1)
(Blandois' Song.)
Words by C. Dickens.
H.R.S. Dalton.
An old French children's singing game. Dickens' words are a literal translation. See Eighty Singing Games (Kidson and Moffat).
Who Ran to Catch Me When I Fell (O.C.S. 38)
From Ann Taylor's nursery song ‘My Mother.’
Wife Shall Dance and I Will Sing, so Merrily Pass the Day
From ‘Begone, dull care’ (q.v.).
Will Watch, the Bold Smuggler (Out of Season)
John Davy.
Yankee Doodle (U.T., A.N.)
Mr. F. Kidson has traced this to ‘A selection of Scotch, English, Irish, and Foreign Airs,’ published in Glasgow by James Aird, c. 1775 or 1776.
Yet Lov'd I as Man Ne'er Loved (O.C.S. 50)
Words by William Mee.
Millard.
From ‘Alice Gray.’
She's all my fancy painted her,
She's lovely, she's divine,
But her heart it is another's,
It never can be mine.
Yet lov'd I as ne'er man loved,
A love without decay,
Oh my heart, my heart is breaking,
For the love of Alice Gray!
‘Alice Gray.’ A ballad, sung by Miss Stephens, Miss Palon, and Miss Grant. Composed and inscribed to Mr. A. Pettet by Mrs. Philip Millard.
Published by A. Pettet, Hanway Street.
You Gentlemen of England (D. & S. 23)
Old English Ballad.
A seventeenth-century song, the last line of each verse being ‘When the stormy winds do blow.’
Young Love Lived Once (S.B.S. 20)
In Sketches by Boz this sentence occurs:
‘When we say a “shed” we do not mean the conservatory kind of building which, according to the old song, Love frequented when a young man.’
The song referred to is by T. Moore.
Young love lived once in a humble shed,
Where roses breathing,
And woodbines wreathing,
Around the lattice their tendrils spread,
As wild and sweet as the life he led.
It is one of the songs in M.P., or The Blue-Stocking, a comic opera in three acts.