Have Some Madeira M'Dear
Encyclopedia
Have Some Madeira M'Dear is a darkly comic song by Flanders and Swann
. It is a song about seduction
and alcohol
, containing complex and witty
wordplay
.
The song concerns an aged rake
who "slyly inveigles" an attractive young girl of seventeen to his apartment where he offers her a glass of Madeira, a fortified Portuguese red wine made in the Madeira islands. The girl enthusiastically drains her glass, becoming slightly drunk in the process. Scenting victory, the rake offers the young girl another glass of wine which she accepts but before raising it to her lips, she recalls her mother, warning her on her deathbed to avoid red wine. With a cry, the girl drops the glass and flees the apartment, the old rake’s pleas for her to remain echoing in her ears. The following morning, however, the young lady awakens in bed with a hangover and a beard tickling her ear.
The song contains three oft-quoted instances of syllepsis, including "she made no reply, up her mind and a dash for the door."
Flanders and Swann
The British duo Flanders and Swann were the actor and singer Michael Flanders and the composer, pianist and linguist Donald Swann , who collaborated in writing and performing comic songs....
. It is a song about seduction
Seduction
In social science, seduction is the process of deliberately enticing a person to engage. The word seduction stems from Latin and means literally "to lead astray". As a result, the term may have a positive or negative connotation...
and alcohol
Alcohol
In chemistry, an alcohol is an organic compound in which the hydroxy functional group is bound to a carbon atom. In particular, this carbon center should be saturated, having single bonds to three other atoms....
, containing complex and witty
Wit
Wit is a form of intellectual humour, and a wit is someone skilled in making witty remarks. Forms of wit include the quip and repartee.-Forms of wit:...
wordplay
Wordplay
Wordplay is a musician/actor, of mixed British and Black African descent. Gaining worldwide exposure as an actor in 1998 through the Austrian Obscuro Gothic science fiction film "Dandy dust" directed by Hans Schierl...
.
The song concerns an aged rake
Rake (character)
A rake, short for rakehell, is a historic term applied to a man who is habituated to immoral conduct, frequently a heartless womanizer. Often a rake was a man who wasted his fortune on gambling, wine, women and song, incurring lavish debts in the process...
who "slyly inveigles" an attractive young girl of seventeen to his apartment where he offers her a glass of Madeira, a fortified Portuguese red wine made in the Madeira islands. The girl enthusiastically drains her glass, becoming slightly drunk in the process. Scenting victory, the rake offers the young girl another glass of wine which she accepts but before raising it to her lips, she recalls her mother, warning her on her deathbed to avoid red wine. With a cry, the girl drops the glass and flees the apartment, the old rake’s pleas for her to remain echoing in her ears. The following morning, however, the young lady awakens in bed with a hangover and a beard tickling her ear.
The song contains three oft-quoted instances of syllepsis, including "she made no reply, up her mind and a dash for the door."