The Little Vagabond Lyrics
But the Alehouse is healthy, and pleasant, and warm.
Besides, I can tell where I am used well;
Such usage in heaven will never do well.
But, if at the Church they would give us some ale,
And a pleasant fire our souls to regale,
We’d sing and we’d pray all the livelong day,
Nor ever once wish from the Church to stray.
Then the Parson might preach, and drink, and sing,
And we’d be as happy as birds in the spring;
And modest Dame Lurch, who is always at church,
Would not have bandy children, nor fasting, nor birch.
And God, like a father, rejoicing to see
His children as pleasant and happy as He,
Would have no more quarrel with the Devil or the barrel,
But kiss him, and give him both drink and apparel.
About
From Songs of Experience, published 1794, this was one of the series of poems which explore the harsh realities of late 18th and early 19th Century life during the time of King George III, known — ironically given the terrible social conditions of the time — as the Romantic Era. Each poem in the “Songs of Experience” category is matched by an idealistic portrayal in Songs of Innocence. The contrast is Blake’s method of social protest.
The ‘vagabond’ of the title is a child who lacked a comfortable home, and would go to the nearest alehouse where he would, at least, be warm and perhaps, out of kindness, given food and drink.
Blake uses the ale-house as a symbol of human warmth, love and satisfaction, comparing it favourably to the literal and metaphorical coldness of the established Church of Blake’s time, which preached a hard-hearted, punitive version of Christianity. The ale-house was regarded as a place of sin by the authorities, so this poem is an example of Blake’s subversiveness. It also represents his joyous and compassionate version of Christianity, and his belief that children should not be repressed by harsh discipline, but loved and encouraged to play freely and exercise imagination.
Blake’s presentation has been criticised over the generations. Note that the painter William Hogarth painted pictures of the devastation caused by alcoholism, for example ‘Gin Lane’ (see below). Blake, an intelligent and astute observer, was fully aware of the conditions in which poor people lived, but chose to present his ale-house as a force for good. We can speculate whether Blake was motivated by a desire to shock, or if there is perhaps an element of irony.
However, the poem can be read as a presentation of contrasts. There were no doubt, at the time, some compassionate churchmen and some wicked ale-houses keepers. Blake’s purpose was to depict the extremes and thereby raise awareness of the suffering caused by the shortcomings of society’s institutions.
Structure
The poem comprises four quatrains, that is four-lined stanzas, made up of rhyming couplets. An appropriately jaunty rhythm is achieved by the metre, predominantly anapaests, where a metrical foot is two unstressed followed by one stressed syllable. The rhyme scheme is AABB throughout , apart from the first couplet.
Language and Imagery
The voice is the first person singular ‘I’, that of a child who prefers the Alehouse to Church and school. The language is accessible and the tone child-like, though ironic with its adult observations.
The Church, Alehouse and Dame Lurch (an archetype schoolteacher) symbolise the institutions that provide little or no comfort and support for poor children.
Q&A
Find answers to frequently asked questions about the song and explore its deeper meaning
- 9.The Fly
- 10.The Angel
- 11.The Tyger
- 13.Ah! Sun-flower
- 14.The Lilly
- 16.The Little Vagabond
- 17.London
- 19.Infant Sorrow
- 20.A Poison Tree
- 24.A Cradle Song
- 25.The Schoolboy
- 26.To Tirzah