The thought of a bunch of guys drunk as lords, half of whom were lords, screeching this tune out at the top of their lungs … I don’t know about you, but in thirty seconds I’d be begging for Roseanne.Īnd the lyrics! You’d expect a drinking song to be pretty raucous, and by comparison to the national anthem I suppose “Anacreon” is. You’re thinking: drinking song? I can’t sing “The Star-Spangled Banner” when I’m sober. Anacreon (563-478 B.C.) was a Greek poet known for his songs of wine and women. According to tradition it was first “sung at the Crown Anchor Tavern in the Strand, circa 1780.” Tomlinson was president of the Anacreontic Society, a gentlemen’s club popular with upscale London boozers. The original tune was “To Anacreon in Heaven,” an English drinking song written by John Stafford Smith with words by Ralph Tomlinson, Esq. Coming right up, my sweet, although I think once you get a load of this puppy you’ll agree you’d have better luck organizing a singalong of “Onward Christian Soldiers.”
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