Digital Tradition Mirror

Poverty Knock

(This score available as ABC, SongWright, PostScript, PNG, or PMW, or a MIDI file)
Pennywhistle notation and Dulcimer tab for this song is also available

Poverty Knock

Up in the morning at five, it's a wonder that we stay alive
It sets me yawning to great the cold dawning
And back to the old, dreary drive

Oh dear, I'm going to be late, Gaffer is standing at gate
With his hands in his pockets our wages he'll dock us
We'll have to buy grub on the slate

     Poverty poverty knock, my loom it is saying all day
     Poverty poverty knock, Gaffer's too skinny to pay
     Poverty poverty knock, always one eye on the clock
     I know I can guttle when I hear me shuttle go
     Poverty poverty knock

We have to wet our own yarn by dipping it in yonder tarn
It's cold and it's soggy, it makes me feel
And there's rats in that dirty old barn.
Sometimes a shuttle flies out and gives some poor woman a clout
She lies there bleeding while nobody's heading
Who's going to carry her out?

The tuner should tackle my loom, but he just sits there on his bum
He's always busy a-courting our Lizzie
And I just can't get him to come

And Lizzie's so easily led, I reckon he takes her to bed
She used to be skinny, now look at her pinny
It's just about time they were wed

Oh my poor head how it sings, I should have woven three strings
The threads they keep breaking, my poor heart is aching
Oh God, how I wish I had wings.

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DC

Thanks to Mudcat for the Digital Tradition!