Topsy-Turvy World
William Brighty Rands 1823 (Chelsea, Middlesex) – 1882 (East Dulwich, London)
IF the butterfly courted the bee,
And the owl the porcupine;
If churches were built in the sea,
And three times one was nine;
If the pony rode his master,
If the buttercups ate the cows,
If the cats had the dire disaster
To be worried, sir, by the mouse;
If mamma, sir, sold the baby
To a gypsy for half a crown;
If a gentleman, sir, was a lady,—
The world would be Upside-down!
If any or all of these wonders
Should ever come about,
I should not consider them blunders,
For I should be Inside-out!
Chorus
Ba-ba, black wool,
Have you any sheep?
Yes, sir, a packfull,
Creep, mouse, creep!
Four-and-twenty little maids
Hanging out the pie,
Out jump’d the honey-pot,
Guy Fawkes, Guy!
Cross latch, cross latch,
Sit and spin the fire;
When the pie was open’d,
The bird was on the brier!
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Submitted on May 13, 2011
Modified on May 01, 2023
- 44 sec read
- 178 Views
Quick analysis:
Scheme | ABABCXCXADADEFEF GHGHXIXIXCFC |
---|---|
Closest metre | Iambic trimeter |
Characters | 840 |
Words | 149 |
Stanzas | 2 |
Stanza Lengths | 16, 12 |
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"Topsy-Turvy World" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 20 Sep. 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem/39229/topsy-turvy-world>.
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