Analysis of Good-By Bill
Ringgold Wilmer Lardner 1885 (Niles, Michigan) – 1933 (East Hampton, New York)
Dollar Bill, that I've held so tight
Ever since payday, a week ago,
Shall I purchase with you tonight
A pair of seats at the vaudeville show?
(Hark! A voice from the easy chair:
"Look at his shoes! We must buy a pair.")
Dollar Bill, from the wreckage saved,
Tell me, how shall I squander you?
Shall I be shined, shampooed and shaved,
Singed and trimmed 'round the edges, too?
(Hark! A voice from the easy chair:
"He hasn't a romper that's fit to wear.")
Dollar Bill, that I cherished so,
Think of the cigarettes you'd buy,
Turkish ones, with a kick, you know;
Makin's eventually tire a guy.
(Hark! A voice from the easy chair:
"Look at those stockings! Just one big tear!")
Dollar Bill, it is time to part.
What do I care for a vaudeville show?
I'll shave myself and look just as smart.
Makin's aren't so bad, you know.
Dollar Bill, we must say good-by;
There on the floor is the Reason Why.
Scheme | ababCc dedeCc bfbfCc gbgbff |
---|---|
Poetic Form | |
Metre | 10111111 10110101 11101101 011110101 10110101 111111101 10110101 11111101 11110101 10110101 10110101 110011111 10111101 1100111 10110111 1010001001 10110101 111101111 10111111 111110101 11101111 1101111 10111111 110110101 |
Closest metre | Iambic tetrameter |
Characters | 877 |
Words | 173 |
Sentences | 17 |
Stanzas | 4 |
Stanza Lengths | 6, 6, 6, 6 |
Lines Amount | 24 |
Letters per line (avg) | 28 |
Words per line (avg) | 7 |
Letters per stanza (avg) | 166 |
Words per stanza (avg) | 42 |
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Submitted on August 03, 2020
Modified on March 05, 2023
- 54 sec read
- 2 Views
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"Good-By Bill" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 30 Apr. 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem-analysis/56475/good-by-bill>.
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