Ballade of the Absinthe Cafe

Ballade of the Absinthe Cafe

Decked out in the latest fashion,
For the hottest girls enthusing,
You look debonair and dashin'
And with confidence you're oozing.
But the girls are all refusing
You are left to sit and ponder,
How to stop their lame excusing?
Absinthe makes the heart grow fonder!

Your idea to spark their passion:
Witty repartee while schmoozing.
Savoir faire will help you cash in,
Soon some clothes they might be losing!
But instead, they start accusing.
You are left alone to wander.
What is left but self-abusing?
Absinthe makes the heart grow fonder!

Love bereft, your pallor ashen,
Stumble out for mindless boozing.
But instead of more tongue lashin',
Pretty girls think you're amusing!
You have hopes of maybe fusing
With that beauty over yonder.
It is not the least confusing,
Absinthe makes the heart grow fonder!

Prince, when you are out there cruising,
Don’t an opportune chance squander.
Find a princess of your choosing;
Absinthe makes the heart grow fonder!


* The ballade (pronounced /bəˈlɑːd/; not to be confused with the ballad) consists of three eight-line stanzas, each with a consistent meter and a particular rhyme scheme.  The last line in the stanza is a refrain, and the stanzas are followed by a four-line concluding stanza (an envoi) usually addressed to a prince.

I used trochaic tetrameter (DUM da DUM da DUM da DUM da), and a rhyme scheme of ababbcbC ababbcbC ababbcbC bcbC, where the capital 'C' is the refrain.