text: the absent - minded beggar " the absent - minded beggar " is an 1899 poem by rudyard kipling , set to music by sir arthur sullivan and often accompanied by an illustration by richard caton woodville . the song was written as part of an appeal by the daily mail to raise money for soldiers fighting in the south african war ( usually known as the boer war ) and their families . the fund was the first such charitable effort for a war . the chorus of the song exhorted its audience to " pass the hat for your credit 's sake , and pay — pay — pay ! " the patriotic poem and song caused a sensation and were constantly performed throughout the war and beyond . kipling was offered a knighthood shortly after publication of the poem but declined the honour . vast numbers of copies of the poem and sheet music were published , and large quantities of related merchandise were sold to aid the charity . the " absent - minded beggar fund " was an unprecedented success and raised a total of more than £ 250 , 000 . history in september 1899 , it was clear that the crisis in south africa was likely to turn into war . by 2 october , all military leave had been cancelled , and urgent preparations were under way to send a large expeditionary force to the cape , with horses and supplies being requisitioned and mobilised . on 7 october , a proclamation was issued calling out the army reserve . of 65 , 000 liable men , around 25 , 000 were intended to be called up for service . many , if not all , of the men thus mobilised were ex - soldiers in permanent employment for whom returning to military duty meant a significant cut in their income . in addition , there was no contemporary legislation of the time protecting the permanent employment of reservists . employers could – and often would – replace them with other workers , with no guarantee that if the soldier returned he would be able to take back his job . as a result , many families were quickly plunged into poverty , since a lifestyle comfortably maintained on a workman 's wage of twenty shillings could not be kept up on the infantryman 's " shilling a day " . as if this were not enough , there was no guarantee that the husband would have a job to return to , even without the prospect of injury or death . a number of charitable funds existed to support these individuals , most notably the soldiers ' and sailors ' families association , but a number of private appeals were also made . simultaneously , a wave of patriotism was sweeping the country , catered to by jingoist newspapers such as the daily mail . many of these newspapers were also involved in the charitable fundraising efforts to benefit the reservists and their dependents . the daily mail proprietor , alfred harmsworth , had publicised efforts to help soldiers and their families . this drew the attention of rudyard kipling , who produced " the absent - minded beggar " on 16 october 1899 and sent the verses to harmsworth on 22 october with a note that " they are at your service . ... turn [ the proceeds ] over to any one of the regularly ordained relief - funds , as a portion of your contribution . i don 't want my name mixed up in the business except as it will help to get money . it 's verse and i want it to catch just as many pennies as it can . ... [ ] it isn 't a thing i shall care to reprint ; so there is no need of copyrighting it in america . if any one wants to sing it take care that the proceeds go to our men . " by 25 october , kipling was plotting with harmsworth on how to maximise the fundraising from the poem by having it recited at music halls . he suggested finding a composer to set it to a " common + catchy " tune . the poem was first published in the daily mail on 31 october 1899 and was an immediate success . maud tree , the wife of actor - manager herbert beerbohm tree , recited it at the palace theatre , every night before the show , for fourteen months , and other performers recited it at music halls and elsewhere , giving part of the profits to the fund . the country 's premier composer , sir arthur sullivan , was immediately asked to set the poem to music . sullivan had written some 20 operas , including fourteen comic operas with w. s. gilbert , and a large volume of songs , orchestral pieces and other music . although he was in the middle of composing his next opera , the rose of persia ( which was to be his last completed opera ) , sullivan agreed . both kipling and sullivan declined proffered fees for creating the song . artist richard caton woodville , within several days , provided an illustration , titled " a gentleman in " , showing a wounded but defiant british tommy in battle . this illustration was included in " art editions " of the poem and song . in 1897 , sullivan had agreed to compose music for rudyard kipling 's poem , but he never completed the song . when asked to set " the absent - minded beggar " to music two years later , sullivan found kipling 's verses so difficult to set that he told his diary , " if it wasn 't for charity 's sake , i could never have undertaken the task " . still , the experienced composer completed the music in four days , on 5 november 1899 . the first public performance was sung by john coates , under sullivan 's baton , at the alhambra theatre on 13 november 1899 , to a " magnificent reception " of an overflowing theatre . reception sullivan 's music captured britain 's jingoistic mood , and sullivan 's diary entry notes , " wild enthusiasm . all sang chorus ! i stood on the stage and conducted the encore – funny sight ! " with characteristic grace , the composer wrote to kipling , " your splendid words went with a swing and enthusiasm which even my music cannot stifle " . kipling , on the other hand , described the music as " a tune guaranteed to pull teeth out of barrel - organs " . the daily chronicle wrote that " it has not been often that the greatest of english writers and the greatest of english musicians have joined inspiring words and stirring melody in a song which expresses the heart feelings of the entire nation " . sullivan 's manuscript was later auctioned for £ 500 towards the fund . critic fuller maitland disapproved of the composition in the times , but sullivan asked a friend , " did the idiot expect the words to be set in cantata form , or as a developed composition with symphonic introduction , contrapuntal treatment , etc . ? " the poem , song and piano music sold in extraordinary numbers , as did all kinds of household items , postcards , memorabilia and other merchandise emblazoned , woven or engraved with the " gentleman in " figure , the poem itself , the sheet music , or humorous illustrations . some of these items were very expensive . 40 clerks answered 12 , 000 requests a day for copies of the poem , and it was included in 148 , 000 packets of cigarettes within two months of the first performance . alternative arrangements of the song were published , such as " the absent - minded beggar march " . the daily mail 's charitable fund was eventually titled the " absent minded beggar relief corps " or the " absent - minded beggar fund , " providing small comforts to the soldiers themselves as well as supporting their families . among other activities of the corps , it " met the soldiers on arrival in south africa , welcomed them on their return to britain and , more importantly , set up overseas centres to minister to the sick and wounded " . the fund raised the unprecedented amount of more than £ 250 , 000 . the money was not raised solely by the daily mail ; the poem was publicly available , with anyone permitted to perform or print it in any way , so long as the copyright royalties went to the fund . newspapers around the world published the poem , hundreds of thousands of copies were quickly sold internationally , and the song was sung widely in theatres and music halls , first being heard in australia on 23 december 1899 . local " absent minded beggar relief corps " branches were opened in trinidad , cape town , ireland , new zealand , china , india and numerous places throughout the world ; all of this contributed to the fund and to other war efforts , such as the building of hospitals . the fund was the first such charitable effort for a war and has been referred to as the origin of the welfare state . in december , after the first £ 50 , 000 was raised , the daily mail asserted , " the history of the world can produce no parallel to the extraordinary record of this poem . " the popularity of the poem was such that allusions to it were common . mark twain wrote that " the clarion - peal of its lines thrilled the world " . by 18 november , less than a month after publication of the poem , " a new patriotic play " was advertised to open the next week , titled the absent minded beggar , or , for queen and country . the same month , the charity organisation society called " the absent - minded beggar " the " most prominent figure on the charitable horizon at present . " even a critical book on the conduct of the war , published in 1900 , was titled an absent - minded war . kipling was offered a knighthood within a few weeks of publication of the song but declined , as he declined all offers of state honours . historian stephen m. miller wrote in 2007 , " kipling almost single - handedly restored the strong ties between civilians and soldiers and put britain and its army back together again . " a performance of " the absent - minded beggar march " on 21 july 1900 at the crystal palace was sullivan 's last public appearance , and the composer died four months later . " the absent - minded beggar " remained popular throughout the three - year war and for years after the war ended . it became a part of popular culture of the time , with its title becoming a popular phrase and cartoons , postcards and other humorous representations of the character of the absent - minded beggar becoming popular . the song is performed in john osborne 's 1957 play the entertainer . the song is still heard on re - issues of early recordings and on post world war ii recordings by donald adams and others . in 1942 , george orwell noted that " the phrase " killing kruger with your mouth " ... was current till very recently " . in 2010 , a kipling conference , called " following the absent - minded beggar " was held at the school of the humanities of the university of bristol , organised by dr. john lee , that included lectures and an exhibition of memorabilia and documents relating to the poem and song . lyrics