Gone With A Handsomer Man. Poem Rhyme Scheme and Analysis
Rhyme Scheme: A BBCC CCDD EEFF GGHH GGII CCJJ G G GKK EEHH LLMN IIOO PPQQ CCRR SSTT UVFF WWGG XXOO Y Z A2 A2 A2HH AAB2B2 A C2 D2D2UV E2E2FF F2 LLLHHH CCCGGG G2G2G2DDD ZZZEEE CCCH2H2H2 LLLI2 I2 I2I2 F2F2F2GGG J2J2SI I II GGGK2K2L2K2 M2M2M2GGG EEEGGG N2N2N2O2O2O2 P2P2P2ZZZ Q2Q2Q2 Q2 I2I2I2 R2R2R2GGG S2S2S2JJJ N2N2N2G2G2G2| JOHN | A |
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| I've worked in the field all day a plowin' the stony streak | B |
| I've scolded my team till I'm hoarse I've tramped till my legs are weak | B |
| I've choked a dozen swears so's not to tell Jane fibs | C |
| When the plow p'int struck a stone and the handles punched my ribs | C |
| - | |
| I've put my team in the barn and rubbed their sweaty coats | C |
| I've fed 'em a heap of hay and half a bushel of oats | C |
| And to see the way they eat makes me like eatin' feel | D |
| And Jane won't say to night that I don't make out a meal | D |
| - | |
| Well said the door is locked but here she's left the key | E |
| Under the step in a place known only to her and me | E |
| I wonder who's dyin' or dead that she's hustled off pell mell | F |
| But here on the table's a note and probably this will tell | F |
| - | |
| Good God my wife is gone my wife is gone astray | G |
| The letter it says Good bye for I'm a going away | G |
| I've lived with you six months John and so far I've been true | H |
| But I'm going away to day with a handsomer man than you | H |
| - | |
| A han'somer man than me Why that ain't much to say | G |
| There's han'somer men than me go past here every day | G |
| There's han'somer men than me I ain't of the han'some kind | I |
| But a lovin'er man than I was I guess she'll never find | I |
| - | |
| Curse her curse her I say and give my curses wings | C |
| May the words of love I've spoke be changed to scorpion stings | C |
| Oh she filled my heart with joy she emptied my heart of doubt | J |
| And now with a scratch of a pen she lets my heart's blood out | J |
| - | |
| Curse her curse her say I she'll some time rue this day | G |
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| CURSE HER CURSE HER SAY I SHE'LL SOME TIME RUE THIS DAY | G |
| - | |
| She'll some time learn that hate is a game that two can play | G |
| And long before she dies she'll grieve she ever was born | K |
| And I'll plow her grave with hate and seed it down to scorn | K |
| - | |
| As sure as the world goes on there'll come a time when she | E |
| Will read the devilish heart of that han'somer man than me | E |
| And there'll be a time when he will find as others do | H |
| That she who is false to one can be the same with two | H |
| - | |
| And when her face grows pale and when her eyes grow dim | L |
| And when he is tired of her and she is tired of him | L |
| She'll do what she ought to have done and coolly count the cost | M |
| And then she'll see things clear and know what she has lost | N |
| - | |
| And thoughts that are now asleep will wake up in her mind | I |
| And she will mourn and cry for what she has left behind | I |
| And maybe she'll sometimes long for me for me but no | O |
| I've blotted her out of my heart and I will not have it so | O |
| - | |
| And yet in her girlish heart there was somethin' or other she had | P |
| That fastened a man to her and wasn't entirely bad | P |
| And she loved me a little I think although it didn't last | Q |
| But I mustn't think of these things I've buried 'em in the past | Q |
| - | |
| I'll take my hard words back nor make a bad matter worse | C |
| She'll have trouble enough she shall not have my curse | C |
| But I'll live a life so square and I well know that I can | R |
| That she always will sorry be that she went with that han'somer man | R |
| - | |
| Ah here is her kitchen dress it makes my poor eyes blur | S |
| It seems when I look at that as if 'twas holdin' her | S |
| And here are her week day shoes and there is her week day hat | T |
| And yonder's her weddin' gown I wonder she didn't take that | T |
| - | |
| 'Twas only this mornin' she came and called me her dearest dear | U |
| And said I was makin' for her a regular paradise here | V |
| O God if you want a man to sense the pains of hell | F |
| Before you pitch him in just keep him in heaven a spell | F |
| - | |
| Good bye I wish that death had severed us two apart | W |
| You've lost a worshiper here you've crushed a lovin' heart | W |
| I'll worship no woman again but I guess I'll learn to pray | G |
| And kneel as you used to kneel before you run away | G |
| - | |
| And if I thought I could bring my words on heaven to bear | X |
| And if I thought I had some little influence there | X |
| I would pray that I might be if it only could be so | O |
| As happy and gay as I was a half an hour ago | O |
| - | |
| - | |
| - | |
| JANE | Y |
| - | |
| entering | Z |
| - | |
| Why John what a litter here you've thrown things all around | A2 |
| - | |
| WHY JOHN WHAT A LITTER HERE YOU'VE THROWN THINGS ALL AROUND | A2 |
| - | |
| Come what's the matter now and what 've you lost or found | A2 |
| And here's my father here a waiting for supper too | H |
| I've been a riding with him he's that handsomer man than you | H |
| - | |
| - | |
| Ha ha Pa take a seat while I put the kettle on | A |
| And get things ready for tea and kiss my dear old John | A |
| Why John you look so strange Come what has crossed your track | B2 |
| I was only a joking you know I'm willing to take it back | B2 |
| - | |
| - | |
| - | |
| JOHN | A |
| - | |
| aside | C2 |
| - | |
| Well now if this ain't a joke with rather a bitter cream | D2 |
| It seems as if I'd woke from a mighty ticklish dream | D2 |
| And I think she smells a rat for she smiles at me so queer | U |
| I hope she don't good Lord I hope that they didn't hear | V |
| - | |
| 'Twas one of her practical drives she thought I'd understand | E2 |
| But I'll never break sod again till I get the lay of the land | E2 |
| But one thing's settled with me to appreciate heaven well | F |
| 'Tis good for a man to have some fifteen minutes of hell | F |
| - | |
| - | |
| - | |
| - | |
| - | |
| JOHNNY RICH | F2 |
| - | |
| Raise the light a little Jim | L |
| For it's getting rather dim | L |
| And with such a storm a howlin' 'twill not do to douse the glim | L |
| Hustle down the curtains Lu | H |
| Poke the fire a little Su | H |
| This is somethin' of a flurry mother somethin' of a whew | H |
| - | |
| Goodness gracious how it pours | C |
| How it beats ag'in the doors | C |
| You will have a hard one Jimmy when you go to do the chores | C |
| Do not overfeed the gray | G |
| Give a plenty to the bay | G |
| And be careful with your lantern when you go among the hay | G |
| - | |
| See the horses have a bed | G2 |
| When you've got 'em fairly fed | G2 |
| Feed the cows that's in the stable and the sheep that's in the shed | G2 |
| Give the spotted cow some meal | D |
| Where the brindle can not steal | D |
| For she's greedy as a porker and as slipp'ry as an eel | D |
| - | |
| Hang your lantern by the ring | Z |
| On a nail or on a string | Z |
| For the Durham calf 'll bunt it if there's any such a thing | Z |
| He's a handsome one to see | E |
| And a knowin' one is he | E |
| I stooped over t'other morning and he up and went for me | E |
| - | |
| Rover thinks he hears a noise | C |
| Just keep still a minute boys | C |
| Nellie hold your tongue a second and be silent with your toys | C |
| Stop that barkin' now you whelp | H2 |
| Or I'll kick you till you yelp | H2 |
| Yes I hear it 'tis somebody that's callin' out for help | H2 |
| - | |
| Get the lantern Jim and Tom | L |
| Mother keep the babies calm | L |
| And we'll follow up that halloa and we'll see where it is from | L |
| 'Tis a hairy sort of night | I2 |
| - | |
| 'TIS A HAIRY SORT OF NIGHT FOR A MAN TO FACE AND FIGHT | I2 |
| - | |
| For a man to face and fight | I2 |
| And the wind is blowin' Hang it Jimmy bring another light | I2 |
| - | |
| Ah 'twas you then Johnny Rich | F2 |
| Yelling out at such a pitch | F2 |
| For a decent man to help you while you fell into the ditch | F2 |
| 'Tisn't quite the thing to say | G |
| But we ought to've let you lay | G |
| While your drunken carcass died a drinkin' water any way | G |
| - | |
| And to see you on my floor | J2 |
| And to hear the way you snore | J2 |
| Now we've lugged you under shelter and the danger all is o'er | S |
| And you lie there quite resigned | I |
| - | |
| AND YOU LIE THERE QUITE RESIGNED WHISKY DEAF AND WHISKY BLIND | I |
| - | |
| Whisky deaf and whisky blind | I |
| And it will not hurt your feelin's so I guess I'll free my mind | I |
| - | |
| Do you mind you thievin' dunce | G |
| How you robbed my orchard once | G |
| Takin' all the biggest apples leavin' all the littlest runts | G |
| Do you mind my melon patch | K2 |
| How you gobbled the whole batch | K2 |
| Stacked the vines and sliced the greenest melons just to raise the | L2 |
| scratch | K2 |
| - | |
| Do you think you drunken wag | M2 |
| It was any thing to brag | M2 |
| To be cornered in my hen roost with two pullets in a bag | M2 |
| You are used to dirty dens | G |
| You have often slept in pens | G |
| I've a mind to take you out there now and roost you with the hens | G |
| - | |
| Do you call to mind with me | E |
| How one night you and your three | E |
| Took my wagon all to pieces for to hang it on a tree | E |
| How you hung it up you eels | G |
| Straight and steady by the wheels | G |
| I've a mind to take you out there now and hang you by your heels | G |
| - | |
| How the Fourth of last July | N2 |
| When you got a little high | N2 |
| You went back to Wilson's counter when you thought he wasn't nigh | N2 |
| How he heard some specie chink | O2 |
| And was on you in a wink | O2 |
| And you promised if he'd hush it that you never more would drink | O2 |
| - | |
| Do you mind our temperance hall | P2 |
| How you're always sure to call | P2 |
| And recount your reformation with the biggest speech of all | P2 |
| How you talk and how you sing | Z |
| That the pledge is just the thing | Z |
| How you sign it every winter and then smash it every spring | Z |
| - | |
| Do you mind how Jennie Green | Q2 |
| Was as happy as a queen | Q2 |
| When you walked with her on Sunday looking sober straight and clean | Q2 |
| - | |
| WHEN YOU WALKED WITH HER ON SUNDAY LOOKING SOBER STRAIGHT AND CLEAN | Q2 |
| - | |
| How she cried out half her sight | I2 |
| When you staggered by next night | I2 |
| Twice as dirty as a serpent and a hundred times as tight | I2 |
| - | |
| How our hearts with pleasure warmed | R2 |
| When your mother though it stormed | R2 |
| Run up here one day to tell us that you truly had reformed | R2 |
| How that very self same day | G |
| When upon her homeward way | G |
| She run on you where you'd hidden full three quarters o'er the bay | G |
| - | |
| Oh you little whisky keg | S2 |
| Oh you horrid little egg | S2 |
| You're goin' to destruction with your swiftest foot and leg | S2 |
| I've a mind to take you out | J |
| Underneath the water spout | J |
| Just to rinse you up a little so you'll know what you're about | J |
| - | |
| But you've got a handsome eye | N2 |
| And although I can't tell why | N2 |
| Somethin' somewhere in you always lets you get another try | N2 |
| So for all that I have said | G2 |
| I'll not douse you but instead | G2 |
| I will strip you I will rub you I will put you into bed | G2 |
Will Carleton
(1)
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About Gone With A Handsomer Man.
Gone With A Handsomer Man. is a poem by Will Carleton. This page includes the poem text, poet information, related topics, comments, and similar poems.