A New Song On Wood's Halfpence Poem Rhyme Scheme and Analysis
Rhyme Scheme: AAAB CCDA EEEA FFFA GGGA HIHA JJJA KKKA LLLA MMMA NNNA OOOA PPPA QQAA RRRA SSSA NNNA NNNA TTUA NNNA VVWB| Ye people of Ireland both country and city | A |
| Come listen with patience and hear out my ditty | A |
| At this time I'll choose to be wiser than witty | A |
| Which nobody can deny | B |
| - | |
| The halfpence are coming the nation's undoing | C |
| There's an end of your ploughing and baking and brewing | C |
| In short you must all go to wreck and to ruin | D |
| Which c | A |
| - | |
| Both high men and low men and thick men and tall men | E |
| And rich men and poor men and free men and thrall men | E |
| Will suffer and this man and that man and all men | E |
| Which c | A |
| - | |
| The soldier is ruin'd poor man by his pay | F |
| His fivepence will prove but a farthing a day | F |
| For meat or for drink or he must run away | F |
| Which c | A |
| - | |
| When he pulls out his twopence the tapster says not | G |
| That ten times as much he must pay for his shot | G |
| And thus the poor soldier must soon go to pot | G |
| Which c | A |
| - | |
| If he goes to the baker the baker will huff | H |
| And twentypence have for a twopenny loaf | I |
| Then dog rogue and rascal and so kick and cuff | H |
| Which c | A |
| - | |
| Again to the market whenever he goes | J |
| The butcher and soldier must be mortal foes | J |
| One cuts off an ear and the other a nose | J |
| Which c | A |
| - | |
| The butcher is stout and he values no swagger | K |
| A cleaver's a match any time for a dagger | K |
| And a blue sleeve may give such a cuff as may stagger | K |
| Which c | A |
| - | |
| The beggars themselves will be broke in a trice | L |
| When thus their poor farthings are sunk in their price | L |
| When nothing is left they must live on their lice | L |
| Which c | A |
| - | |
| The squire who has got him twelve thousand a year | M |
| O Lord what a mountain his rents would appear | M |
| Should he take them he would not have house room I fear | M |
| Which c | A |
| - | |
| Though at present he lives in a very large house | N |
| There would then not be room in it left for a mouse | N |
| But the squire is too wise he will not take a souse | N |
| Which c | A |
| - | |
| The farmer who comes with his rent in this cash | O |
| For taking these counters and being so rash | O |
| Will be kick'd out of doors both himself and his trash | O |
| Which c | A |
| - | |
| For in all the leases that ever we hold | P |
| We must pay our rent in good silver and gold | P |
| And not in brass tokens of such a base mould | P |
| Which c | A |
| - | |
| The wisest of lawyers all swear they will warrant | Q |
| No money but silver and gold can be current | Q |
| And since they will swear it we all may be sure on't | A |
| Which c | A |
| - | |
| And I think after all it would be very strange | R |
| To give current money for base in exchange | R |
| Like a fine lady swapping her moles for the mange | R |
| Which c | A |
| - | |
| But read the king's patent and there you will find | S |
| That no man need take them but who has a mind | S |
| For which we must say that his Majesty's kind | S |
| Which c | A |
| - | |
| Now God bless the Drapier who open'd our eyes | N |
| I'm sure by his book that the writer is wise | N |
| He shows us the cheat from the end to the rise | N |
| Which c | A |
| - | |
| Nay farther he shows it a very hard case | N |
| That this fellow Wood of a very bad race | N |
| Should of all the fine gentry of Ireland take place | N |
| Which c | A |
| - | |
| That he and his halfpence should come to weigh down | T |
| Our subjects so loyal and true to the crown | T |
| But I hope after all that they will be his own | U |
| Which c | A |
| - | |
| This book I do tell you is writ for your goods | N |
| And a very good book 'tis against Mr Wood's | N |
| If you stand true together he's left in the suds | N |
| Which c | A |
| - | |
| Ye shopmen and tradesmen and farmers go read it | V |
| For I think in my soul at this time that you need it | V |
| Or egad if you don't there's an end of your credit | W |
| Which nobody can deny | B |
Jonathan Swift
(1)
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About A New Song On Wood's Halfpence
A New Song On Wood's Halfpence is a poem by Jonathan Swift. This page includes the poem text, poet information, related topics, comments, and similar poems.
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