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SONGS OF A SAVOYARD
SONGS OF A SAVOYARD W. S. GILBERT Contents:
The Darned Mounseer
The Englishman
The Disagreeable Man
The Coming By-And-By
The Highly Respectable Gondolier
The Fairy Queen's Song
Is Life A Boon
The Modern Major-General
The Heavy Dragoon
Proper Pride
The Policeman's Lot
The Baffled Grumbler
The House Of Peers
A Merry Madrigal
The Duke And The Duchess
Eheu Fugaces -!
They'll None Of `Em Be Missed
Girl Graduates
Braid The Raven Hair
The Working Monarch
The Ape And The Lady
Only Roses
The Rover's Apology
An Appeal
The Reward Of Merit
The Magnet And The Churn
The Family Fool
Sans Souci
A Recipe
The Merryman And His Maid
The Susceptible Chancellor
When A Merry Maiden Marries
The British Tar
A Man Who Would Woo A Fair Maid
The Sorcerer's Song
The Fickle Breeze
The First Lord's Song
Would You Know?
Speculation
Ah Me!
The Duke Of Plaza-Toro
The Aesthete
Said I To Myself Said I
Sorry Her Lot
The Contemplative Sentry
The Philosophic Pill
Blue Blood
The Judge's Song
When I First Put This Uniform On
Solatium
A Nightmare
Don't Forget!
The Suicide's Grave
He And She
The Mighty Must
A Mirage
The Ghosts' High Noon
The Humane Mikado
Willow Waly!
Life Is Lovely All The Year
The Usher's Charge
The Great Oak Tree
King Goodheart
Sleep On!
The Love-Sick Boy
Poetry Everywhere
He Loves!
True Diffidence
The Tangled Skein
My Lady
One Against The World
Put A Penny In The Slot
Good Little Girls
Life
Limited Liability
Anglicised Utopia
An English Girl
A Manager's Perplexities
Out Of Sorts
How It's Done
A Classical Revival
The Practical Joker
The National Anthem
Her Terms
The Independent Bee
The Disconcerted Tenor
The Played-Out Humorist
Ballad: The Darned Mounseer
I shipped d'ye see in a Revenue sloop
And off Cape Finisteere
A merchantman we see
A Frenchman going free
So we made for the bold Mounseer
D'ye see?
We made for the bold Mounseer!
But she proved to be a Frigate - and she up with her ports
And fires with a thirty-two!
It come uncommon near
But we answered with a cheer
Which paralysed the Parley-voo
D'ye see?
Which paralysed the Parley-voo!
Then our Captain he up and he says says he
"That chap we need not fear -
We can take her if we like
She is sartin for to strike
For she's only a darned Mounseer
D'ye see?
She's only a darned Mounseer!
But to fight a French fal-lal - it's like hittin' of a gal -
It's a lubberly thing for to do;
For we with all our faults
Why we're sturdy British salts
While she's but a Parley-voo
D'ye see?
A miserable Parley-voo!"
So we up with our helm and we scuds before the breeze
As we gives a compassionating cheer;
Froggee answers with a shout
As he sees us go about
Which was grateful of the poor Mounseer
D'ye see?
Which was grateful of the poor Mounseer!
And I'll wager in their joy they kissed each other's cheek
(Which is what them furriners do)
And they blessed their lucky stars
We were hardy British tars
Who had pity on a poor Parley-voo
D'ye see?
Who had pity on a poor Parley-voo!
Ballad: The Englishman
He is an Englishman!
For he himself has said it
And it's greatly to his credit
That he is an Englishman!
For he might have been a Roosian
A French or Turk or Proosian
Or perhaps Itali-an!
But in spite of all temptations
To belong to other nations
He remains an Englishman!
Hurrah!
For the true-born Englishman!
Ballad: The Disagreeable Man
If you give me your attention I will tell you what I am:
I'm a genuine philanthropist - all other kinds are sham.
Each little fault of temper and each social defect
In my erring fellow-creatures I endeavour to correct.
To all their little weaknesses I open people's eyes
And little plans to snub the self-sufficient I devise;
I love my fellow-creatures - I do all the good I can -
Yet everybody says I'm such a disagreeable man!
And I can't think why!
To compliments inflated I've a withering reply
And vanity I always do my best to mortify;
A charitable action I can skilfully dissect;
And interested motives I'm delighted to detect.
I know everybody's income and what everybody earns
And I carefully compare it with the income-tax returns;
But to benefit humanity however much I plan
Yet everybody says I'm such a disagreeable man!
And I can't think why!
I'm sure I'm no ascetic; I'm as pleasant as can be;
You'll always find me ready with a crushing repartee;
I've an irritating chuckle I've a celebrated sneer
I've an entertaining snigger I've a fascinating leer;
To everybody's prejudice I know a thing or two;
I can tell a woman's age in half a minute - and I do -
But although I try to make myself as pleasant as I can
Yet everybody says I'm such a disagreeable man!
And I can't think why!
Ballad: The Coming By-And-By
Sad is that woman's lot who year by year
Sees one by one her beauties disappear;
As Time grown weary of her heart-drawn sighs
Impatiently begins to "dim her eyes"! -
Herself compelled in life's uncertain gloamings
To wreathe her wrinkled brow with well-saved "combings" -
Reduced with rouge lipsalve and pearly grey
To "make up" for lost time as best she may!
Silvered is the raven hair
Spreading is the parting straight
Mottled the complexion fair
Halting is the youthful gait
Hollow is the laughter free
Spectacled the limpid eye
Little will be left of me
In the coming by-and-by!
Fading is the taper waist -
Shapeless grows the shapely limb
And although securely laced
Spreading is the figure trim!
Stouter than I used to be
Still more corpulent grow I -
There will be too much of me
In the coming by-and-by!
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