The Happy Pair
[By GEORGE PARKER in Life’s Painter of Variegated Characters].
Joe.
Ye slang-boys all, since wedlock’s nooze,
Together fast has tied
Moll Blabbermums and rowling Joe,
Each other’s joy and pride;
Your broomsticks and tin kettles bring,
With cannisters and stones:
Ye butchers bring your cleavers too,
Likewise your marrow-bones;
For ne’er a brace in marriage hitch’d,
By no one can be found,
That’s half so blest as Joe and Moll,
Search all St. Giles’s round.
Moll.
Though fancy queer-gamm’d smutty Muns
Was once my fav’rite man,
Though rugged-muzzle tink’ring Tom
For me left maw-mouth’d Nan:
Though padding Jack and diving Ned, [1]
With blink-ey’d buzzing Sam, [2]
Have made me drunk with hot, and stood [3]
The racket for a dram;
Though Scamp the ballad-singing kid,
Call’d me his darling frow, [4]
I’ve tip’d them all the double, for [5]
The sake of rowling Joe.
Chorus.
Therefore, in jolly chorus now,
Let’s chaunt it altogether,
And let each cull’s and doxy’s heart [6]
Be lighter than a feather;
And as the kelter runs quite flush, [7]
Like natty shining kiddies,
To treat the coaxing, giggling brims, [8]
With spunk let’s post our neddies; [9]
Then we’ll all roll in bub and grub, [10]
Till from this ken we go, [11]
Since rowling Joe’s tuck’d up with Moll,
And Moll’s tuck’d up with Joe.
[1: tramping; pick-pocket] [2: pickpocket] [3: paid for] [4: woman, girl] [5: jilted] [6: man; woman] [7: money] [8: whores] [9: spirit; spend our guineas] [10: drink; food] [11: drinking-house]