Analysis of Back and Side go Bare



Back and side go bare, go bare,
      Both foot and hand go cold;
    But, belly, God send thee good ale enough,
      Whether it be new or old.

I cannot eat but little meat,
      My stomach is not good;
    But sure I think that I can drink
      With him that wears a hood.
    Though I go bare, take ye no care,
    I am nothing a-cold;
  I stuff my skin so full within
    Of jolly good ale and old.
      Back and side go bare, go bare,
    Both foot and hand go cold;  
  But, belly, God send thee good ale enough,  
    Whether it be new or old.

I love no roast but a nutbrown toast,
    And a crab laid in the fire;
  A little bread shall do me stead,
    Much bread I not desire.
  No frost nor snow, no wind, I trow,
    Can hurt me if I would,
  I am so wrapt, and throughly lapt
    Of jolly good ale and old.
      Back and side go bare, go bare,  
    Both foot and hand go cold;  
  But, belly, God send thee good ale enough,  
    Whether it be new or old.

And Tib my wife, that as her life
    Loveth well good ale to seek,
  Full oft drinks she, till ye may see
    The tears run down her cheek.
  Then doth she troll to me the bowl,
    Even as a maltworm should;
  And saith,"Sweetheart, I took my part
    Of this jolly good ale and old."
      Back and side go bare, go bare,  
    Both foot and hand go cold;  
  But, belly, God send thee good ale enough,  
    Whether it be new or old.

Now let them drink, till they nod and wink,
    Even as good fellows should do;
  They shall not miss to have the bliss
    Good ale doth bring men to.
  And all poor souls that have scoured bowls,
    Or have them lustily troll'd,
  God save the lives of them and their wives,
    Whether they be young or old.
      Back and side go bare, go bare,
      Both foot and hand go cold;
      But, belly, God send thee good ale enough,
      Whether it be new or old.


Scheme ABCB xdedabxBABCB xfxfxdbBABCB xgxgxdxbABCB ehxhxbxbABCB
Poetic Form
Metre 1011111 110111 1101111101 1011111 11011101 110111 11111111 111101 11111111 111001 11111101 1101101 1011111 110111 1101111101 1011111 11111011 00110010 01011111 1111010 11111111 111111 1111011 1101101 1011111 110111 1101111101 1011111 01111101 111111 11111111 011101 11111101 101011 011111 11101101 1011111 110111 1101111101 1011111 111111101 10111011 11111101 111111 011111101 11111 110111011 1011111 1011111 110111 1101111101 1011111
Closest metre Iambic tetrameter
Characters 1,846
Words 354
Sentences 14
Stanzas 5
Stanza Lengths 4, 12, 12, 12, 12
Lines Amount 52
Letters per line (avg) 24
Words per line (avg) 7
Letters per stanza (avg) 251
Words per stanza (avg) 70
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Submitted on May 13, 2011

Modified on March 14, 2023

1:46 min read
129

William Stevenson

William Stevenson (1530–1575) was an English clergyman and presumed playwright of the early English language comedy Gammer Gurton's Needle. Born in Durham, England, he studied at Christ's College, Cambridge, where he received his Bachelor of Arts degree in 1553, his Master of Arts degree in 1560 and his Bachelor of Divinity degree, also in 1560. Account books at Christ's College list him in 1550–1553 and again in 1559–1560 as involved in putting on plays, though they do not mention Gammer Gurton's Needle explicitly. He became a prebend at Durham Cathedral in 1561. more…

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