Push About the Pitcher

DESCRIPTION: "The silver moon, that shines so bright" shows "we've time to drink another pitcher." He'd rather drink and have fun than "work all day, and sleep at night, to grow much richer" He'd love a man "who loves a lass .. and boldly calls for t'other pitcher"
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST DATE: c.1770 (broadside, according to Logan-APedlarsPack);1844 (_The Quavers_)
KEYWORDS: drink nonballad
FOUND IN: Britain(England(South))
REFERENCES (3 citations):
Logan-APedlarsPack, pp. 234-236, "The Pitcher" (1 text)
Williams-FolkSongsOfTheUpperThames, p. 92, "Joke and Push About the Pitcher" (1 text) (also Williams-Wiltshire-WSRO Wt 453)
ADDITIONAL: The Quaver; or Songster's Pocket Companion (London, 1844 ("Digitized by Google")), p. 126, "Push About the Pitcher" ("The silver moon, that shines so bright") (1 text)
ST WT092 (Partial)
Roud #1253
CROSS-REFERENCES:
cf. "Landlord, Fill the Flowing Bowl" (theme: drink and good fellowship)) and references there
NOTES [167 words]: Logan-APedlarsPack: "'The sneaking milksop, Jemmy Twitcher' referred to in the fourth stanza, was [Johm Montagu] Lord Sandwich, an unpopular member of the administration [of George III], whose connection with Miss [Martha] Reay [or Ray] was brought prominently before the public in consequence of her having been murdered [on April 7, 1779] ... by an insane Clergyman, the Rev. Mr [James] Hackman...." The bracket notes are from Martin Levy, Love & Madness (New York, 2004), pp. 1-6. Twitcher is also mentioned in Williams-FolkSongsOfTheUpperThames. The reference in the song says "I dearly love a hearty man (No sneaking [or sniggering] milksop Jimmy Twitcher) Who loves a lass and loves a glass ...."
The "joke" in the Williams-FolkSongsOfTheUpperThames title is from the line "Let's joke and push about the pitcher"; The Quaver has "Let's jocund push about the pitcher," which would work better with "jocundly." Logan's text avoids the problem with "We've time to call for t'other pitcher." - BS
Last updated in version 2.6
File: WT092

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