when Adam delved
and Eve span
who was then
the gentleman?*
who owned the land
the beasts so fair
the fruits of the earth
the birds of the air
who favoured the rich
who punished the poor
who owned the courts
and who owned the law
who owned the army
who owned religion
whose head on the coin
whose feet in the midden?
I don’t wanna be a subject
I wanna be a citizen
a pox on the palace
I’m egalitarian
so who stole the land
from sweet Eve and Adam
who stole their labour
who stole their passion?
and the royals in their castle
peasants at their gate
who made them high and lowly
and ordered their estate?
royal fleas bite my back
royal leeches suck my vein
taxes buy their privilege
obedience buys their reign
we pay for their paramours
their mansions corgis horses
births deaths marriages
scandals and divorces
I don’t wanna to be a subject
I wanna be a citizen
a pox on the palace
it’s time to be republican
Eve and Adam in a cardboard box
begging for a stake
the queen is in her counting house
totting up the take
well I don’t care if they’re pin-ups
don’t care if they’re freaks
don’t care if they’re Germans
don’t care if they’re Greeks
don’t care if they’re arty
don’t care if they’re yobs
don’t care if they’re papists
don’t care if they’re prods
don’t care if they’re nazis
don’t care if they’re green
away with all the Windsors
sweet Eve is our true Queen
I don’t wanna be a subject
I wanna be a citizen
a pox on the palace
let’s all be republican
for I’ve found a royal family
for sweet Eve and Adam
it’s the crowned heads of jive
and the regents of rhythm
the blue-bloods of bebop
the noblesse of boogie
the sovereigns of bluebeat
the monarchs of reggae
the Empress of the Blues
the Queen of Soul
the Prince of Funk
the King of Rockanroll
Duke Ellington of Jazz
Count Basie of Swing
the Duke of Earl
c’mon and shake that thing
I don’t wanna to be a subject
I wanna be a citizen
a pox on the palace
I’m a rapping republican
and here’s my message to the Windsors
go and eat cake!
while Queen Eve raps her gospel
at the royal family’s wake
I don’t wanna be a subject
I wanna be a citizen
a pox on the palace
I’m a rapping republican
Jeff Cloves
Illustration: Claire Palmer
* When Adam delved and Eve span
who was then the gentleman?
from a sermon reputedly delivered by the hedge priest
John Ball on the eve of The Peasants’ Revolt 1381
dear CP
Comment by jeff cloves on 14 December, 2019 at 2:32 pmthanks for the pic – lovely work as ever
solstice greetings to you
Thanks JC, and to you too! 🙂
Comment by claire on 14 December, 2019 at 7:44 pmThis. I like. A lot.
Comment by Dafydd Pedr on 17 December, 2019 at 4:45 pm