University of Virginia Library

OF THE STREET POETS AND AUTHORS.

Authorship, for street sale, is chiefly confined
to the production of verse, which, whatever be
its nature, is known through the trade as
"ballads." Two distinctions, indeed, are recog-
nised — "Ballads" and "Ballads on a Subject."
The last-mentioned is, as I have said and
shown, the publication which relates to any
specific event; national or local, criminal or
merely extraordinary, true or false. Under the
head "Ballads," the street-sellers class all that
does not come under the description of "Ballads
on a Subject."

The same street authors — now six in number —
compose indiscriminately any description of bal-
lad, including the copy of verses I have shown to
be required as a necessary part of all histories
or trials of criminals. When the printer has de-
termined upon a "Sorrowful Lamentation," he
sends to a poet for a copy of verses, which is
promptly supplied. The payment I have al-
ready mentioned — 1s.; but sometimes, if the
printer (and publisher) like the verses, he
"throws a penny or two over;" and sometimes
also, in case of a great sale, there is the same
over-sum.

Fewer ballads, I was assured, than was the
case ten or twelve years ago, are now written
expressly for street sale or street minstrelsy.
"They come to the printer, for nothing, from
the concert-room. He has only to buy a `Ross'
or a `Sharp' " [song-books] "for 1d., and there's
a lot of 'em; so, in course, a publisher ain't
a-going to give a bob, if he can be served for a
farthing, just by buying a song-book."

Another man, himself not a "regular poet,"
but a little concerned in street productions, said
to me, with great earnestness: "Now look at
this, sir, and I hope you'll just say, sir, as I tell
you. You've given the public a deal of informa-
tion about men like me, and some of our chaps
abuses you for it like mad; but I say it's all
right, for it's all true. Now you'll have learned,
sir, or, any way, you will learn, that there's
songs sung in the streets, and sometimes in some
tap-rooms, that isn't decent, and relates to
nothing but wickedness. There wasn't a few of
those songs once written for the streets, straight
away, and a great sale they had, I know — but far
better at country fairs and races than in town.
Since the singing-houses — I don't mean where
you pay to go to a concert, no! but such as your
Cyder-cellars, and your night-houses, where
there's lords, and gentlemen, and city swells,
and young men up from the colleges — since
these places has been up so flourishing, there
hasn't, I do believe, been one such song written
by one of our poets. They all come from the
places where the lords, and genelmen, and col-
legians is capital customers; and they never was
a worse sort of ballads than now. In course those
houses is licensed, and perticler respectable, or
it wouldn't be allowed; and if I was to go to
the foot of the bridge, sir (Westminster-bridge),
and chaunt any such songs, and my mate should
sell them, why we should very soon be taking
reg'lar exercise on Colonel Chesterton's ever-
lasting staircase. We has a great respect for
the law — O, certainly!"

Parodies on any very popular song, which
used to be prepared expressly for street trade,
are now, in like manner, derived from the night-
house or the concert-room; but not entirely so.
The parody "Cab, cab, cab!" which was heard
in almost every street, was originated in a con-
cert-room.

The ballads which have lately been written,
and published expressly for the street sale, and
have proved the most successful, are parodies or
imitations of "The Gay Cavalier." One street
ballad, commencing in the following words, was,
I am told, greatly admired, both in the streets
and the public-houses:

I now give three stanzas of "The Way to
Live Happy Together," — a ballad said to have
been written expressly for street sale. Its popu-
larity is anything but discreditable to the street-
buyers:

"It's all as one, sir," was the answer of a man
whom I questioned on the subject; "it's the
same poet; and the same tip for any ballad.
No more nor a bob for nothing."

A large number of ballads which I procured,
and all sold and sung in the street, though not
written expressly for the purpose, presented a
curious study enough. They were of every
class. I specify a few, to show the nature of

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the collection (not including ballads on a sub-
ject): "Ye Banks and Braes o' Bonnie Doun,"
with (on the same sheet) "The Merry Fid-
dler," (an indecent song) — "There's a good
Time coming, Boys," "Nix, my Dolly," "The
Girls of — shire," (which of course is avail-
able for any county) — "Widow Mahoney,"
"Remember the Glories of Brian the Brave,"
"Clementina Clemmins," "Lucy Long,"
"Erin Go Bragh," "Christmas in 1850,"
"The Death of Nelson," "The Life and
Adventures of Jemmy Sweet," "The Young
May Moon," "Hail to the Tyrol," "He was
sich a Lushy Cove," &c. &c.

I may here mention — but a fuller notice may
be necessary when I treat of street art — that
some of these ballads have an "illustration"
always at the top of the column. "The Heart
that can Feel for Another" is illustrated by a
gaunt and savage-looking lion. "The Amorous
Waterman of St. John's Wood," presents a
very short, obese, and bow-legged grocer, in
top-boots, standing at his door, while a lady in
a huge bonnet is "taking a sight at him," to
the evident satisfaction of a "baked 'tater" man.
"Rosin the Beau" is heralded by the rising
sun. "The Poachers" has a cut of the Royal
Exchange above the title. "The Miller's
Ditty" is illustrated by a perfect dandy, of
the slimmest and straightest fashion; and
"When I was first Breeched," by an engrav-
ing of a Highlander. Many of the ballads, how-
ever, have engravings appropriate enough.