Poetry Explorer- Classic Contemporary Poetry, TOPICAL SONG, by ROBERT LOUIS STEVENSON


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Classic and Contemporary Poetry

TOPICAL SONG, by                 Poet Analysis     Poet's Biography
First Line: When, where, or how, it matters not a damn
Last Line: Poor tin jack!
Alternate Author Name(s): Stevenson, Robert Lewis Balfour
Subject(s): Islands; Landscape; Sea; Travel; Ocean; Journeys; Trips


WHEN, where, or how,
It matters not a damn;
East, west, or south,
Mariki or Apaman,
Land, only land, land me
With my little pack,
Land on any mortal island,
Poor Tin Jack!

Chorus

I'm landing, I'm landing,
Landing with my little pack.
I hear your husky voices calling,
Poor Tin Jack!
Much they may care
For the dangers of my fate.
Martin's at home
And the cow-tub's at the gate.
False nose on face
Snowy wig on head and back.
Oh what a moving sight to see is
Poor Tin Jack!

Bright rolls the sea
On a hundred lovely shores.
Each'll do for me
And my deteriorated stores.
Land, only land,
Land me and my little pack,
And leave with Billy Jones's Cousin
Poor Tin Jack!

Hear my last word
Now when I'm about to land.
Drink wisdom in
As we shake the parting hand.
No use to talk
Or to argue for and back.
Approx-imacy forms the aim of
Poor Tin Jack!

Long at your board
'Mid the quibblers I was dumb.
Quaffing the wine,
Laying on the little tum.
Now let your ship
Square away along her track,
The flushed, fantastic quibblers leaving
Poor Tin Jack!





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