Have Some Madeira M'Dear is a darkly comic song by Flanders and Swann.[1] 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,[2][3] including "she made no reply, up her mind and a dash for the door."[4]
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