You Are Old, Father William

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You Are Old, Father William is a funny poem by Lewis Carroll that appears in his 1865 book, Alice's Adventures in Wonderland. In the story, Alice is asked to recite it to a Caterpillar in Chapter 5, after she already bungled another poem.

The poem is a playful parody of a serious 1799 poem by Robert Southey called The Old Man's Comforts and How He Gained Them. Carroll keeps the idea of an old father talking to his son, but makes Father William lively, odd, and full of unexpected twists.

In the verses, the young man tells Father William that he is very old and her hair is turning white, yet he still does strange things like standing on his head. Father William replies that in his youth he worried such tricks might hurt his brain, but now that he’s sure he has none left, he can do them again.

The youth notes more of Father William’s strange feats, like a back-somersault at the door and a clever trick with a goose. Father William explains that in youth he kept his body flexible using a cheap ointment he sells, and that his life-long strength came from other odd habits, like arguing with his wife and the stubborn jaw muscles that stayed strong.

The poem also mentions that Father William’s eyes are steady enough to balance an eel on his nose, and he ends by telling the youth that he has answered enough questions and should go away.

You Are Old, Father William is famous for turning a serious, moral-sounding poem into light, silly nonsense. Critics have praised it as a standout example of Carroll’s humor. It has inspired many parodies, with dozens by 1886 and others by writers like Charles Larcom Graves.

The poem has appeared in several films and songs. The 1915 Alice film includes much of the poem. In Disney’s 1951 animated Alice in Wonderland, the first part is sung by Tweedledum and Tweedledee. Sammy Davis Jr. played Father William in a 1985 film and performed the poem, and the 1999 film briefly shows Father William as the poem’s recitation happens. The band They Might Be Giants used the poem’s lyrics for the 2010 album Almost Alice. The first verse also shows up in the TV show Monk, where a character recites it to slow down a killer.