The Whiffenpoof Song

1] The lyrics were co-authored with George Pomeroy.
Mory's: Mory's Temple Bar, 306 York Street, New Haven, Connecticut, a private club near Yale University for its associates, where the Whiffenpoofs regularly met. Back to Line

2] Louis: Louis Linder, owner of Mory's. Back to Line

4] Whiffenpoofs: a cappella singing group at Yale University, 1909-. Rev. James M. Howard, Yale Class of 1909, writes: "It was Goat Fowler who suggested we call ourselves The Whiffenpoofs. He had been tickled by the patter of one of the characters in a Victor Herbert musical comedy called 'Little Nemo' whichrecently been running on Broadway. In a scene in which there was great boasting of terrific exploitsin big game hunting and fishing, comedian Joseph Cawthorn told a fantastic tale of how he hadcaught a Whiffenpoof fish. It seems that Cawthorn had coined the word some years before when heand a fellow actor were amusing themselves by making up nonsense verses. One they particularlyliked began: 'A drivaling grilyal yandled its flail, One day by a Whiffenpoof's grave.' Cawthornrecalled the verse in making up his patter for 'Little Nemo' and put it into his act" ("An Authentic Account of the Founding of the Whiffenpoofs"). Back to Line

9] Songs: George Wither's "Shall I, wasting in despair, / Die because a woman's fair?" and Marion Crawford's "Kathleen Mavourneen." Back to Line

13] The last eight lines are adapted from Rudyard Kipling's "Gentlemen-Rankers." Back to Line

Publication Notes

Meade Minnigerode and George S. Pomeroy, "Whiffenpoof Song," The New Yale Song-Book: A Collection of Songs in Use by The Glee Club and Students of Yale University, ed. G. Frank Goodale (New York: G. Shirmer, 1918): 118-19.

RPO poem Editors

Ian Lancashire

RPO Edition

2010

Rhyme

irregular