Little Man And Little Soul. A Ballad.

To the tune of "There was a little man, and he wooed a little maid."

DEDICATED TO THE RT. HON. CHARLES ABBOT.


        arcades ambo et cantare pares


1813.


There was a little Man and he had a little Soul,
And he said, "Little Soul, let us try, try, try.
    "Whether it's within our reach
    "To make up a little Speech,
"Just between little you and little I, I, I,
    "Just between little you and little I!"

    Then said his little Soul,
        Peeping from her little hole,
"I protest, little Man, you are stout, stout, stout,
        "But, if it's not uncivil,
        "Pray tell me what the devil,
"Must our little, little speech be about, bout, bout,
    "Must our little, little speech be about?"

        The little Man lookt big,
        With the assistance of his wig,
And he called his little Soul to order, order, order,
        Till she feared he'd make her jog in
        To jail, like Thomas Croggan,
(As she wasn't Duke or Earl) to reward her, ward her, ward her,
    As she wasn't Duke or Earl, to reward her.

        The little Man then spoke,
        "Little Soul, it is no joke,
"For as sure as Jacky Fuller loves a sup, sup, sup,
        "I will tell the Prince and People
        "What I think of Church and Steeple.
"And my little patent plan to prop them up, up, up,
    "And my little patent plan to prop them up."

        Away then, cheek by jowl,
        Little Man and little Soul
Went and spoke their little speech to a tittle, tittle, tittle,
        And the world all declare
        That this priggish little pair
Never yet in all their lives lookt so little, little, little.
    Never yet in all their lives lookt so little!

Thomas Moore

Thomas Moore was an Irish poet, singer, and songwriter, celebrated for his Irish Melodies, which are now considered a staple of Irish cultural heritage. Born on May 28, 1779, in Dublin, Ireland, Moore gained fame for his lyrical songs, many of which were set to traditional Irish tunes. Not only a poet, but he was also a staunch advocate of Irish nationalism, often incorporating themes of national identity and resistance into his work. Moore's influential collection 'Irish Melodies' became popular in both Ireland and Britain and helped to define the literary output of the era. He passed away on February 25, 1852, but his legacy in Irish literature and music endures.

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