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Songs Of The Road

Chapter 16: THE BAY HORSE
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About This Book

The collection gathers poems that range from narrative ballads and humorous monologues to formal hymns and short lyrical pieces. Several verses sketch travellers, horses, and convivial street scenes with plainspoken wit, while others voice patriotic and imperial sentiment in hymn-like form. A distinct section presents philosophical reflections on hope, faith, compensation, and the limits of mind and matter. Short miscellaneous lyrics touch on love, the sea, aging, creativity, and nighttime thought, blending irony and earnestness in straightforward, occasionally satirical language.

THE BAY HORSE

     Squire wants the bay horse,
          For it is the best.
     Squire holds the mortgage;
          Where's the interest?
     Haven't got the interest,
          Can't raise a sou;
     Shan't sell the bay horse,
          Whatever he may do.

     Did you see the bay horse?
          Such a one to go!
     He took a bit of ridin',
          When I showed him at the Show.
     First prize the broad jump,
          First prize the high;
     Gold medal, Class A,
          You'll see it by-and-by.

     I bred the bay horse
          On the Withy Farm.
     I broke the bay horse,
          He broke my arm.
     Don't blame the bay horse,
          Blame the brittle bone,
     I bred him and I've fed him,
          And he's all my very own.

     Just watch the bay horse
          Chock full of sense!
     Ain't he just beautiful,
          Risin' to a fence!
     Just hear the bay horse
          Whinin' in his stall,
     Purrin' like a pussy cat
          When he hears me call.

     But if Squire's lawyer
          Serves me with his writ,
     I'll take the bay horse
          To Marley gravel pit.
     Over the quarry edge,
          I'll sit him tight,
     If he wants the brown hide,
          He's welcome to the white!