Poem by William Schwenck Gilbert

The Rover's Apology

Oh, gentlemen, listen, I pray; 
	Though I own that my heart has been ranging, 
Of nature the laws I obey, 
	For nature is constantly changing. 
The moon in her phases is found, 
	The time and the wind and the weather, 
The months in succession come round, 
	And you don’t find two Mondays together. 
		Consider the moral, I pray, 
			Nor bring a young fellow to sorrow, 
		Who loves this young lady to-day, 
			And loves that young lady to-morrow. 

You cannot eat breakfast all day, 
	Nor is it the act of a sinner, 
When breakfast is taken away 
	To turn your attention to dinner; 
And it’s not in the range of belief, 
	That you could hold him as a glutton, 
Who, when he is tired of beef, 
	Determines to tackle the mutton. 
		But this I am ready to say, 
			If it will diminish their sorrow, 
		I’ll marry this lady to-day, 
			And I’ll marry that lady to-morrow!

1. The Bab Ballads. The Periwinkle Girl
2. The Bab Ballads. The Folly of Brown
3. The Bab Ballads. General John
4. The Bab Ballads. Haunted
5. The Bab Ballads. Disillusioned

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