I’m a maker of ballads right pretty I write them right…
““I’m a maker of ballads right pretty I write them right here in the street You can buy them all over the city yours for a penny a sheet I’m a word pecker out of the printers out of the dens of Gin Lane I’ll write up a scene on a counter - confessions and sins in the main, boys confessions and sins in the main Then you’ll find me in Madame Geneva’s keeping the demons at bay There’s nothing like gin for drowning them in but they’ll always be back on a hanging day, on a hanging day They come rattling over the cobbles they sit on their coffins of black Some are struck dumb, some gabble top-heavy on brandy or sack The pews are all full of fine fellows and the hawker has set up her shop As they’re turning them off at the gallows she’ll be selling right under the drop, boys selling right under the drop Then you’ll find me in Madame Geneva’s keeping the demons at bay There’s nothing like gin for drowning them in but they’ll always be back on a hanging day, on a hanging day””
About This Quote
This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.
The narrator describes a street poet who sells verses, mingling with gritty urban life, using gin and dark imagery to depict survival amid vice.
In simple terms: A street poet sells verses, surrounded by darkness and vice.
Key Takeaway
Find beauty in everyday struggles.
Themes
art
survival
urban life
Mood
melancholic
gritty
Type
artistic
observational
When to use this quote
- busking
- nightlife
- substance use
- social commentary
Key Concepts
poetry
street culture
Questions to Reflect On
- What does the poet’s voice reveal about society?
- How does art reflect or resist oppression?
A Different Perspective
The narrative may romanticize hardship, overlooking systemic issues.