Lyr Add: The Queen's Ass

13 Sep 03 - 05:06 PM (#1018285)
Subject: Lyr Add: THE QUEEN'S ASS
From: Q (Frank Staplin)

Lyr. Add: THE QUEEN'S ASS

Ye bucks and ye Jemmies who amble the Park,
Whose Hearts and whose Heads are as lightsome as Cork,
Through Rockingham Gate as to Chelsea you pass,
Without fee or reward, you may see the Queen's Ass.*

Refrain:
See the Queen's Ass, see the Queen's Ass.
Without Fee or Reward, &c.

A Sight such as this surely never was seen,
Who the Deuce would not gaze at the A-- of a Q----?
What Prospect so charming, What Scene can surpass
The delicate Sight of her Majesty's* Ass?

Though squemish old Prudes with Invective and Spleen,
May turn up their Noses and censure the Q----,
Crying out,- "'Tis a shame, that her Queenship*, alas,
"Should take such a Pride- in exposing her A--."

Let them rail if they will, yet I'll bet ten to One,
Not a Prude of them all but would alter her Tone,
Provided that Fortune, so kind to each Lass,
Had bestowed such an A-- as her majesty's Ass.

The Fribbies cry out, "'Tis a Sin and a Shame
"To offer a Sight with so filthy a Name;"
Though they rail, yet will each take a Peep through his Glass,
For who would not peep at her M------'s A--?

From [a Greek name], a Place of Renown,
This good natur'd Princess* came here for a Crown;
And now in Return to the Folks as they pass,
She kindly repays them-- by shewing her A--.

Ye Gods! I with Pleasure cou'd gaze Day and Night,
At so charming, so pretty, so curious a Sight:
In truth, I must own- nay, I swear by the Mass,
I could kiss (if no Treason)- her M------'s A--.

But this for a Subject, though loyal, I fear
Would be look'd on by some Folks as coming too near;
Then in Prudence my Passion I'll stifle, alas!
Content but to gaze on her M------'s A--.

Resign's to my Fate, then to gaze and no more,
In vain for Posession I sigh and implore;
But Scripture informs us that all Flesh is Grass,
And such, I presume, is her M------'s A--.

Since then there is no mighty Diff'rence between
The A-- of a Subject, and that of a Q---n,
Let each Lad full of Glee take his Bottle and Glass,
And drink the Q----'s Health-- not forgetting her A--,
   Not forgetting her A--, Not forgetting her A--,
   And drink the Q----'s Health, etc.

* Only first and last letters of these words printed. Written about the ass owned by Charlotte Sophia, Queen Consort to George III.
"A Humorous Allegorical Song," by H. Howard." "To the tune of Stick a Pin there."
Sold by the Author, Union Coffee-House, in the Strand...Price Sixpence.
"N. B. In a few Days will be published, A Song on the Cherokees, with a Head Piece."
Bodleian Library, Johnson Ballads, fol. 164, London, c. 1762. A reply in Johnson Ballads, fol. 165.

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13 Sep 03 - 09:31 PM (#1018396)
Subject: RE: Lyr Add: THE QUEEN'S ASS
From: Barry Finn

Great song, thanks. Where could I find the tune? Barry

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13 Sep 03 - 09:55 PM (#1018401)
Subject: RE: Lyr Add: THE QUEEN'S ASS
From: Q (Frank Staplin)

Malcolm might help. I haven't tried, but someone in England would be more likely to find it. "Stick a Pin There" is one I haven't seen.

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13 Sep 03 - 10:30 PM (#1018412)
Subject: RE: Lyr Add: THE QUEEN'S ASS
From: Malcolm Douglas

A tune called Stick a Pin There appears in Thompson's Compleat Collection of 200 Favourite Country Dances (1757), which is the right time period (see EASMES). I don't know where you'd find it outside of a specialist library.

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13 Sep 03 - 11:26 PM (#1018431)
Subject: RE: Lyr Add: THE QUEEN'S ASS
From: GUEST,.gargoyle

A spendid song. Thankyou!!! for seeing the relationship between the two.

What is YOUR source?

Scrounging around the net today.... looking for these lyrics in all its par-mutations...none were availabel. It's another, first for Dick and Susan's collection.

Well DONE!

Sincerely,
Gargoyle

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14 Sep 03 - 01:20 AM (#1018459)
Subject: Lyr Add: THE QUEEN'S ASS - REPLY
From: GUEST,Q

Here is the reply. Both come up at the Bodleian with queens ass. Not as inspired.

Lyr. Add: THE QUEEN'S ASS- REPLY
THE OTHER SIDE OF THE ZEBRAY

Since Folly in England for Wisdom can pass;
And th' Apollo of Grub-street will shew himself-Ass;
He, from Lowness of Thought, by the Nose shall be led,
To the Tail of the Beast, to shew his Fool's Head.

Refrain;
He, from Lowness of Thought, by the Nose shall be led,
To the Tail of the Beast, to shew his Fool's Head.

He would be a Joker, but sure he's no Wit,
That on a poor beast all his Venom would spit:
I'm sure by his Spelling, he is not high read,
Therefore, at the Tail, I have plac'd the Fool's Head.

A Joke out of Season, is next to Offence;
But, where lies the Joke, that has no Wit or Sense?
It may please the Drunkard when Reason is fled,
And the Fumes of the Mundungus fly into his Head.

My dear Poetaster, why will you vend Trash?
When you for each Line, are deserving the Lash;
Then thenceforth ne'er suffer it e'er to be said,
That you by such Folly must show your Fool's Head;
He, from etc.

You may pry as you will, since you're fix'd near the Place,
You deserve to be kept, till each Line you can trace;
And take off the Tints, either brown, cream or red;
And mix as you like 'em; then paint your Fool's Head;

How could you for Wit or for Humour e'er pass,
A Lady's Back side on the Town for an Ass?
Such low Wit and Humour sure never was read,
Why did you not match the Brute's Breech with your Head;

But Pedlars in Poetry, ever will rail;
And 'tis equal to them, either Head or the Tail;
Tho' badly they spell and tho' lamely they read,
In spite of their Stars, they will show their Fool's Head.

Then, Britons, be steady, 'midst Triumphs be glad;
Be foolish with Reason, not foolishly mad;
Mix Wisdom with Wine, or your Punch, or your Mead,
And shun the Example, by seeing ----- Fool's Head.

To the tune of "Balance a Straw." Full title- "With a Fool's Head at the Tail: The other Side of the Zebray: In Reply to the ludicrous Song, upon the Queen's Ass."
Johnson Ballads fol. 165, c. 1762, Bodleian Library. Printed for T. Ewart, Strand, London, price sixpence.
Charlotte Sophia- 1744-1818.

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14 Sep 03 - 04:21 AM (#1018502)
Subject: RE: Lyr Add: THE QUEEN'S ASS
From: GUEST,.gargargoyle

Another grand addition. Thank you.

by Bodleian I assume you are referring to http://library.ox.ac.uk/?

Are you physically going down to room 132 and copying the MS or are you accessing the material directly on line? If so what is the URL?

Sincerely,
Gargoyle

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14 Sep 03 - 12:09 PM (#1018634)
Subject: RE: Lyr Add: THE QUEEN'S ASS
From: Q (Frank Staplin)

On line of course, but I always mess up the urp when I try to direct someone to the broadsheet with an urp.
I thought everyone would have this site bookmarked. I go to the website, or whatever it is called in computerese, and hit Search or the options. Try different words, it has some of the pecularities of a Mudcat search. Try this for the basic site:

Bodleian ballads

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14 Sep 03 - 03:01 PM (#1018725)
Subject: RE: Lyr Add: THE QUEEN'S ASS
From: Q (Frank Staplin)

A lot of fun just to enter a word in Search and see what turns up. One soon finds all kinds of bypaths with lyrics that you normally wouldn't think of looking for (for which normally you wouldn't look- whatever).
Dates, names of collections and much else may be entered in the Bodley blanks, but I often get lost and follow the wrong path. As much entertainment as going through the card indices in an old-fashioned library (nostalgic sigh from a Luddite).

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14 Sep 03 - 05:24 PM (#1018805)
Subject: RE: Lyr Add: THE QUEEN'S ASS
From: katlaughing

Q, my ex used to tell of how, during his time on Diego Garcia, while in the Navy, they used to joke about not touching the "Queen's Asses" which had free run of the Island and of course, belonged to the "Crown."

FYI, the Bodleian Ballads url is listed in the Mudcat LINKS under English Folk.

Thanks for posting those great lyrics!

kat

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14 Sep 03 - 05:30 PM (#1018810)
Subject: RE: Lyr Add: THE QUEEN'S ASS
From: Q (Frank Staplin)

English, my A---, as a Scot or Irishman would say (note four letters indicated, not three, as usage demands in USA or Canada). Should be listed as British Isles and Ireland, not 'English.' Or 'Irish and those other places.'

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14 Sep 03 - 05:42 PM (#1018817)
Subject: RE: Lyr Add: THE QUEEN'S ASS
From: katlaughing

Well, Ididn't list it, Q, but you could sure let Jeff or Joe know and they could relist it. I just wanted to point out that it was there.

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14 Sep 03 - 05:56 PM (#1018828)
Subject: RE: Lyr Add: THE QUEEN'S ASS
From: Q (Frank Staplin)

Jes kidding+

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14 Sep 03 - 09:33 PM (#1018977)
Subject: RE: Lyr Add: THE QUEEN'S ASS
From: katlaughing

:-) tks

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15 Feb 11 - 05:06 PM (#3095959)
Subject: RE: Lyr Add: The Queen's Ass
From: Jim Dixon

Regarding the text of THE QUEEN'S ASS given in the first message of this thread:

In verse 1: "Rockingham Gate" should be "Buckingham-Gate"

In verse 6: "[a Greek Name]" should actually be "M**kl**b***h St**l**z", that is, Mecklenburg-Strelitz, the Grand Duchy of which Charlotte was princess. (It was formerly spelled, in English, "Mecklenburgh")

I find this song very interesting, in part because I had been told, and believed, that puns or double-entendres based on ass (donkey) vs. arse were practically impossible in British English because the two words are spelled and pronounced differently (unlike in American English where "arse" is unknown and "ass" is used for both).

But this song belies that myth, at least as far as the 18th century is concerned. So apparently we have another instance where an old English usage (ass for arse) has survived in America while it disappeared in Britain.

Does anyone know more about the history of "ass" and "arse"?

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15 Feb 11 - 05:26 PM (#3095977)
Subject: RE: Lyr Add: The Queen's Ass
From: Charley Noble

There's always something interesting to learn here!

Charley Noble

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15 Feb 11 - 05:31 PM (#3095984)
Subject: RE: Lyr Add: The Queen's Ass
From: Joe_F

My guess would be, quite the contrary, that the three-letter spelling formally avoids the imputation of vulgarity while preserving the pun. That would depend, however, on how the two words were pronounced in 18th-century English English, and more particularly in the dialect of the poem's author & likely readers. The OED does not give the pronunciation of "arse" at all, claiming that it is "Obs. in polite use"; but, poking around the compounds, I gather that it is pronounced with the vowel of "father", whereas "ass" is pronounced with the vowel of "hat", so that the pun is not a good one in Received Pronunciation, even tho that is nonrhotic. There is no reason to suppose, however, that that was true 250 years ago.

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15 Feb 11 - 05:33 PM (#3095986)
Subject: RE: Lyr Add: The Queen's Ass
From: Artful Codger

See this page for an ABC, dots and MIDI for the tune "Stick a Pin There", from the Thompson source cited above:
http://abcnotation.com/tunePage?a=trillian.mit.edu/~jc/music/book/Thompson/Stick_a_Pin_there/0000
The MIDI link did not play in my browser, but the file could still be downloaded and played. You can also generate a MIDI from the ABC, using a tool like the ABC converter at Concertina.net.

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16 Feb 11 - 04:51 AM (#3096263)
Subject: RE: Lyr Add: The Queen's Ass
From: Jim McLean

I wrote a song in the early 1960s called The Royal Horses. One verse:

She goes to the races, all dressed in style,
Her hangers-on follow in single file,
The crowd all focus their big field-glasses
And stare with interest at the Royal asses.

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