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Knox: The Everlasting Percy
THE EVERLASTING PERCY
OR MR MASEFIELD ON THE RAILWAY
CENTENARY
I used to be a fearful lad,
The things I did were downright bad;
And worst of all were what I done
From seventeen to twenty-one
On all the railways far and wide
From sinfulness and shameful pride.
For several years I was so wicked
I used to go without a ticket,
And travelled underneath the seat
Down in the dust of people's feet,
Or else I sat as bold as brass
And told them 'Season', in first-class.
In 1921, at Harwich,
I smoked in a non-smoking carriage;
I never knew what Life nor Art meant
I wrote 'Reserved' on my compartment,
And once (I was a guilty man)
I swopped the labels in guard's van.
From 1922 to 4
I leant against the carriage door
Without a-looking at the latch;
And once, a-leaving Colney Hatch,
I put a huge and heavy parcel
Which I were taking to Newcastle,
Entirely filled with lumps of lead,
Up on the rack above my head;
And when it tumbled down, Oh Lord!
I pulled communication cord.
The guard came round and said 'You mule!
What have you done, you dirty fool?'
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