Long to Reign o’er Us
Britons, do your duty !
Prop-up the status quo !
Bow to our pirate booty
We pillaged long ago.
Plebs and oiks and hoi pilloi,
Respect who runs the show –
You won’t get far as a barrow boy,
It’s down to who-you-know.
So choke on bunting,
Drown on gushing,
Progress-stunting,
Freedom-crushing,
We know the state’s a travesty,
But one in which we’re very rich –
So gawd bless her majesty,
To whom our fortunes hitch.
For she’s the thread within the stitch-up,
She’s the empire in the kitch-up,
Casts her glamour to bewitch-up,
All across the British Isles.
She’s blue in blood and politics,
Behind-the-scenes to rig the fix –
Then waving for the latest pics,
All innocence and smiles.
Britons, do your duty !
Bail-out our busted banks,
And curtsy to our snooty
From your starved and unwashed ranks.
Jocks and Taffs and chippie Chavs,
And all you bolshy cranks –
Just be content with what you have,
And show some proper thanks.
With boot-licking,
Forelock-tugging,
Heel-clicking,
Flag-hugging.
It’s both a farce and tragedy,
A dirty-money laundromat –
So gawd bless her majesty
The lizard in the hat.
For she’s the face upon the money,
She’s the accent in the plummy,
She’s the knighthood in the chummy,
All across the British Isles.
And after her, we get her son,
And on and on till kingdom come –
You’d better learn, that’s how it’s done,
So tighten-up those smiles.
I freely admit that I was feeling pretty angry when I wrote this. I have taken a calmer take here. And although I’m no fan of flag-hugging, neither do I totally despise it either, as I’ve laid out here and here.
Rhyming Couplets 