Daily Express, Tuesday, October 13, 1903
 

Poem 12

(Attribution uncertain)

THE PARROT.

———♦———

[“I have found a few very thick-headed folk who fail to understand your satire, and actually quote the Parrot’s cry to support their belief ‘That food will cost you more.’ ” —Protectionist’s letter to the “Express”. 1]

As the white man to the nigger,
As the less is to the bigger,
As the rat is to the terrier,
As the rind is to the core.
So are truth and honest dealing
To the lie that I’m revealing
In the squawking of the Parrot
That “Your food will cost you more.”

To a foolish fellow doubting
If the Parrot with his shouting
May not have some truth behind him—
Truth we cannot quite ignore—
I would say “Oh, silly ass! go
Read again ‘Joe’s’ speech at Glasgow, 2
And you’ll see the bird’s untruthful,
With his ‘Food will cost you more.’ ”

 


 1

The Daily Express did not print this letter.

 2

This was Chamberlain’s speech on 6 October (see poem 08).