by William Henry Davies (1871 - 1940)
They're taxing ale again
Language: English
Ale's no false liar; though his mind Has thoughts that are not clear, His honest heart speaks boldly out, Without reserve or fear. Though shaky as that bird the bat, In its first flight at night, Yet still old Ale will stand his ground For either wrong or right. Though Ale is poor, he's no man's slave, He'll neither fawn nor lick; He'd clap proud monarchs on the back, And call them Ned or Dick. They're taxing Ale again, I hear, A penny more the can : They're taxing poor old Ale again, The only honest man.
Text Authorship:
- by William Henry Davies (1871 - 1940), "They're taxing ale again", appears in Forty New Poems, first published 1918 [author's text checked 1 time against a primary source]
Musical settings (art songs, Lieder, mélodies, (etc.), choral pieces, and other vocal works set to this text), listed by composer (not necessarily exhaustive):
- by William (Southcombe) Lloyd Webber (1914 - 1982), "They're taxing ale again", published 1951 [baritone and piano], from Four Bibulous Songs, no. 4. [text not verified]
Researcher for this text: Emily Ezust [Administrator]
This text was added to the website: 2009-01-15
Line count: 16
Word count: 97