When Princes and Prelates

by Robert Burns

When Princes and Prelates and het-headed zealots

All Europe hae set in a lowe,

The poor man lies down, nor envies a crown,

And comforts himsel with a mowe.—

And why shouldna poor folk mowe, mowe, mowe,

And why shouldna poor folk mowe:

The great folk hae siller, and houses and lands,

Poor bodies hae naething but mowe.—

When Brunswick's great Prince cam a cruising to France

Republican billies to cowe,

Bauld Brunswick's great Prince wad hae shawn better sense

At hame with his Princess to mowe.—

And why shouldna, &c.

Out over the Rhine proud Prussia wad shine,

To spend his best blood he did vow;

But Frederic had better ne'er forded the water,

But spent as he docht in a mowe.—

And why, &c.—

By sea and by shore! the Emperor swore,

In Paris he'd kick up a row;

But Paris saw ready just leugh at the laddie

And bad him gae tak a mowe.—

And why, &c.—

And Kate laid her claws on poor Stanislaus,

And Poland has bent like a bow:

May the deil in her arse ram a huge prick of brass!

And damn her in hell with a mowe!

And why, &c.—

But truce with commotions and new-fangled notions,

A bumper I trust you'll allow:

Here's George our gude king and Charlotte his queen,

And lang may they tak a gude mowe!