--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Why, if 'tis dancing you would be…" description: "\"Why, if 'tis dancing you would be, There's brisker pipes than poetry. Say, for what were hop-yards meant, Or why was Burton built on Trent? Oh many a p..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1f6/a-e-housman-8360_ale_why-if-tis-dancing-you-would-be-there-s_3088888.png" --- # Why, if 'tis dancing you would be, There's brisker pipes… ![“Why, if 'tis dancing you would be, There's brisker pipes than poetry. Say, for what were hop-yards meant, Or why was Burton built on Trent? Oh many a peer of England brews Livelier liquor than the Muse, And malt does more than Milton can To justify God's ways to man. Ale, man, ale's the stuff to…” quote by A. E. Housman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1f6/a-e-housman-8360_ale_why-if-tis-dancing-you-would-be-there-s_3088888.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1f6/a-e-housman-8360_ale_why-if-tis-dancing-you-would-be-there-s_3088888.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1f6/a-e-housman-8360_ale_why-if-tis-dancing-you-would-be-there-s_3088888.png) > “Why, if 'tis dancing you would be, There's brisker pipes than poetry. Say, for what were hop-yards meant, Or why was Burton built on Trent? Oh many a peer of England brews Livelier liquor than the Muse, And malt does more than Milton can To justify God's ways to man. Ale, man, ale's the stuff to drink For fellows whom it hurts to think: Look into the pewter pot To see the world as the world's not.” [A. E. Housman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-e-housman/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The poem juxtaposes the vigor of drink with the lofty aspirations of poetry, questioning the value of artistic pursuits versus earthly pleasures. **In simple terms:** Drink offers lively escape; poetry seeks higher meaning. Key Takeaway Balance pleasure with purpose. Themes art pleasure purpose comparison Mood contemplative wry Type poetic satirical When to use this quote - social gatherings - creative writing sessions - pub debates - personal reflection Key Concepts existentialism hedonism literary critique Questions to Reflect On - Do you prioritize pleasure over purpose? - Can art and enjoyment coexist? A Different Perspective Overemphasis on indulgence can dull artistic growth. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Ale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ale/) [Dancing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dancing/) [Drinking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/drinking/) [England](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/england/) [Malt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/malt/) [Men](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/men/) [Muse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/muse/) [Pewter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/pewter/) [Poetry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/poetry/) [Thinking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thinking/) [World](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/world/) ## Related quotes > [“Oh many a peer of England brews Livelier liquor than the Muse, And malt does more than Milton can To justify God’s ways to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-e-housman-2/oh-many-a-peer-of-england-brews-livelier-liquor-than-the-muse-and/) [A.E. Housman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-e-housman-2/) > [“Terence, this is stupid stuff: You eat your victuals fast enough; There can’t be much amiss, ’tis clear, To see the rate you drink…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-e-housman-marcus-manilius/terence-this-is-stupid-stuff-you-eat-your-victuals-fast-enough-there-2/) A.E. Housman Marcus Manilius > [Ale, man, ale's the stuff to drink for fellows whom it hurts to think.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-e-housman/ale-man-ale-s-the-stuff-to-drink-for-fellows-whom-it-hurts-to-think/) [A. E. 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Housman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-e-housman/) > [The troubles of our proud and angry dust are from eternity, and shall not fail. Bear them we can, and if we can we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-e-housman/the-troubles-of-our-proud-and-angry-dust-are-from-eternity-and-shall/) [A. E. Housman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-e-housman/) > [Shoulder the sky, my lad, and drink your ale.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-e-housman/shoulder-the-sky-my-lad-and-drink-your-ale/) [A. E. Housman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-e-housman/) > [I got the breaks. Starting from nowhere in the corn belt, I helped edit a country weekly, then was jack-of-all-departments on an obscure daily,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-ade/i-got-the-breaks-starting-from-nowhere-in-the-corn-belt-i-helped-edit/) [George Ade](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-ade/) > [Her laughter was a shiny thing, like pewter flung high in the air.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pat-conroy/her-laughter-was-a-shiny-thing-like-pewter-flung-high-in-the-air/) [Pat Conroy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pat-conroy/) > [“Thank the Lord, Tucker’s a corgi,” Pewter, upset herself, blurted out. “Smart as a cat.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rita-mae-brown/thank-the-lord-tucker-s-a-corgi-pewter-upset-herself-blurted-out/) [Rita Mae Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rita-mae-brown/) > [God have mercy on the sinner Who must write with no dinner, No gravy and no grub, No pewter and no pub, No bellyand…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-crowe-ransom/god-have-mercy-on-the-sinner-who-must-write-with-no-dinner-no-gravy/) [John Crowe Ransom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-crowe-ransom/) > [Mr. Pewter led them through to a library, filled with thousands of antiquarian books. 'Impressive, eh?' 'Very,' said Jack. 'How did you amass all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jasper-fforde/mr-pewter-led-them-through-to-a-library-filled-with-thousands-of/) [Jasper Fforde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jasper-fforde/) > [When every blessed thing you have is made of silver, or of gold, you long for simple pewter.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/w-s-gilbert/when-every-blessed-thing-you-have-is-made-of-silver-or-of-gold-you/) [W. S. Gilbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/w-s-gilbert/) > [But to proceed; as in order and place, so also in matter of her Creation, Woman far excells Man. things receive their value from…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/heinrich-cornelius-agrippa/but-to-proceed-as-in-order-and-place-so-also-in-matter-of-her/) [Heinrich Cornelius Agrippa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/heinrich-cornelius-agrippa/) ## More by A. E. Housman > [I think that to transfuse emotion - not to transmit thought but to set up in the reader's sense a vibration corresponding to what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-e-housman/i-think-that-to-transfuse-emotion-not-to-transmit-thought-but-to-set/) [A. E. Housman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-e-housman/) > [Clay lies still, but blood's a rover; Breath's aware that will not keep. Up, lad: when the journey's over then there'll be time enough…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-e-housman/clay-lies-still-but-blood-s-a-rover-breath-s-aware-that-will-not-keep/) [A. E. Housman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-e-housman/) > [Housman is one of my heroes and always has been. He was a detestable and miserable man. Arrogant, unspeakably lonely, cruel, and so on,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-e-housman/housman-is-one-of-my-heroes-and-always-has-been-he-was-a-detestable/) [A. E. Housman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-e-housman/) > [On occasions, after drinking a pint of beer at luncheon, there would be a flow into my mind with sudden and unaccountable emotion, sometimes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-e-housman/on-occasions-after-drinking-a-pint-of-beer-at-luncheon-there-would-be/) [A. E. Housman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-e-housman/) > [To justify God's ways to man.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-e-housman/to-justify-god-s-ways-to-man/) [A. E. Housman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-e-housman/) > [Ten thousand times I've done my best and all's to do again.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-e-housman/ten-thousand-times-i-ve-done-my-best-and-all-s-to-do-again/) [A. E. Housman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-e-housman/) > [Here dead lie we because we did not choose to live and shame the land from which we sprung. Life, to be sure, is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-e-housman/here-dead-lie-we-because-we-did-not-choose-to-live-and-shame-the-land/) [A. E. Housman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-e-housman/) > [A moment's thought would have shown him. But a moment is a long time, and thought is a painful process.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-e-housman/a-moment-s-thought-would-have-shown-him-but-a-moment-is-a-long-time/) [A. E. Housman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-e-housman/) > [His folly has not fellow Beneath the blue of day That gives to man or woman His heart and soul away.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-e-housman/his-folly-has-not-fellow-beneath-the-blue-of-day-that-gives-to-man-or/) [A. E. Housman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-e-housman/) > [On Wenlock Edge the wood's in trouble;His forest fleece the Wrekin heaves;The wind it plies the saplings double, And thick on Severn snow the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-e-housman/on-wenlock-edge-the-wood-s-in-trouble-his-forest-fleece-the-wrekin/) [A. E. Housman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-e-housman/) > [Into my hear an air that kills through yon far country blows what are those blue remembered hills what spires,what farms are those? that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-e-housman/into-my-hear-an-air-that-kills-through-yon-far-country-blows-what-are/) [A. E. Housman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-e-housman/) > ['Tis spring; come out to ramble The hilly brakes around, For under thorn and bramble About the hollow ground The primroses are found. And…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-e-housman/tis-spring-come-out-to-ramble-the-hilly-brakes-around-for-under-thorn/) [A. E. Housman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-e-housman/) > [If a man will comprehend the richness and variety of the universe, and inspire his mind with a due measure of wonder and awe,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-e-housman/if-a-man-will-comprehend-the-richness-and-variety-of-the-universe-and/) [A. E. Housman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-e-housman/) > [Malt does more than Milton can to justify God's ways to man.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-e-housman/malt-does-more-than-milton-can-to-justify-god-s-ways-to-man/) [A. E. Housman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-e-housman/) > [I am not a pessimist but a pejorist (as George Eliot said she was not an optimist but a meliorist); and that philosophy is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-e-housman/i-am-not-a-pessimist-but-a-pejorist-as-george-eliot-said-she-was-not/) [A. E. Housman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-e-housman/) [Explore all 81 A. E. Housman quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-e-housman/) ## More Ale quotes > [I'm 12 years sober, so I don't have beer! When I used to drink I really liked Bass Ale!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kristin-davis/i-m-12-years-sober-so-i-don-t-have-beer-when-i-used-to-drink-i-really/) [Kristin Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kristin-davis/) > [Ale is meat, drink and cloth; it will make a cat speak and a wise man dumb.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-swift/ale-is-meat-drink-and-cloth-it-will-make-a-cat-speak-and-a-wise-man/) [Jonathan Swift](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-swift/) > [She was luxuriously tired and her muscles felt sore from the unaccustomed strain of riding astride. Nothing had ever tasted so good as the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kathleen-winsor/she-was-luxuriously-tired-and-her-muscles-felt-sore-from-the/) [Kathleen Winsor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kathleen-winsor/) > [Better beans and bacon in peace than cakes and ale in fear.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aesop/better-beans-and-bacon-in-peace-than-cakes-and-ale-in-fear/) [Aesop](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aesop/) > [It is better to think of church in the ale-house than to think of the ale-house in church.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-luther/it-is-better-to-think-of-church-in-the-ale-house-than-to-think-of-the/) [Martin Luther](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-luther/) > [What is your best, your very best, ale a glass?" "Two pence halfpenny," says the landlord, "is the price of the Genuine Stunning Ale."…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-dickens/what-is-your-best-your-very-best-ale-a-glass-two-pence-halfpenny-says/) [Charles Dickens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-dickens/) > [Whoever takes just plain ginger ale soon gets drowned out of the conversation.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kin-hubbard/whoever-takes-just-plain-ginger-ale-soon-gets-drowned-out-of-the/) [Kin Hubbard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kin-hubbard/) > [I put out a good 10 different types of drinks for them and they just said, "Oh, okay, so it's just one choice." One…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sheena-iyengar/i-put-out-a-good-10-different-types-of-drinks-for-them-and-they-just/) [Sheena Iyengar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sheena-iyengar/) > [I have drunk ale from the Country of the Young / And weep because I know all things now.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-butler-yeats/i-have-drunk-ale-from-the-country-of-the-young-and-weep-because-i/) [William Butler Yeats](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-butler-yeats/) > [I have fed purely upon ale; I have eat my ale, drank my ale, and I always sleep upon ale.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-farquhar/i-have-fed-purely-upon-ale-i-have-eat-my-ale-drank-my-ale-and-i/) [George Farquhar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-farquhar/) > [But if at church they would give some ale. And a pleasant fire our souls to regale. We'd sing and we'd pray all the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-blake/but-if-at-church-they-would-give-some-ale-and-a-pleasant-fire-our/) [William Blake](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-blake/) > [Blessings of your heart, you brew good ale.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/blessings-of-your-heart-you-brew-good-ale/) [William Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shakespeare/) > [Dear Mother, dear Mother, the Church is cold, But the Ale-house is healthy and pleasant and warm.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-blake/dear-mother-dear-mother-the-church-is-cold-but-the-ale-house-is/) [William Blake](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-blake/) > [“It comes in pints?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-jackson/it-comes-in-pints/) [Peter Jackson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-jackson/) > [Save your wack rhymes, hold your female. Pass the Old Gold, trash the ale. Cash your food stamps, get the WIC out the mail.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/big-daddy-kane/save-your-wack-rhymes-hold-your-female-pass-the-old-gold-trash-the/) [Big Daddy Kane](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/big-daddy-kane/) [Browse all 86 Ale quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ale/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Why, if 'tis dancing you would be, There's brisker pipes than poetry. Say, for what were hop-yards meant, Or why was Burton built on Trent? Oh many a peer of England brews Livelier liquor than the Muse, And malt does more than Milton can To justify God's ways to man. Ale, man, ale's the stuff to drink For fellows whom it hurts to think: Look into the pewter pot To see the world as the world's not.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "A. E. 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