XII. O, I say, you Joe. Songs from 'An Island in The Moon'. William Blake. 1908. The Poetical Works

William Blake (1757–1827). The Poetical Works. 1908.

Songs from ‘An Island in The Moon’

XII. O, I say, you Joe


O, 1 I say, you Joe,
Throw us the ball!
I’ve a good mind to go
And leave you all.
I never saw such a bowler	5
To bowl the ball in a tansy,
And to clean it with my hankercher
Without saying a word.

That Bill’s a foolish fellow;
He has given me a black eye.	10
He does not know how to handle a bat
Any more than a dog or a cat:
He has knock’d down the wicket,
And broke the stumps,
And runs without shoes to save his pumps.	15

Note 1. XII] Sung by Tilly Lally, a schoolboy, MS., chap. xi. [back]