On turkeys, fowls, and fishes, most frequently they dine, With gold and silver dishes their tables always shine, They crown their feasts with butter, they eat and rise to play, In silks their ladies flutter, in North America. With gold and silver laces they do themselves adorn, The rubies deck their faces, refulgent as the morn! Wine sparkles in their glasses, they spend each happy day In merriment and dances, in North America. Let not our suit affront you, when we address your throne, O king, this wealthy country and subjects are your own, And you, their rightful sovereign, they truly must obey, You have a right to govern this North America. O king, you’ve heard the sequel of what we now subscribe, Is it not just and equal to tax this wealthy tribe? The question being asked, his majesty did say, My subjects shall be taxed in North America. Invested with a warrant, my publicans shall go, The tenth of all their current they surely shall bestow, If they indulge rebellion, or from my precepts stray, I’ll send my war battalion to North America. I’ll rally all my forces by water and by land, My light dragoons and horses shall go at my command, I’ll burn both town and city, with smoke becloud the day, I’ll show no human pity for North America. Go on, my hearty soldiers, you need not fear of ill— There’s Hutchinson and Rogers, their functions will fulfill— They tell such ample stories, believe them sure we may, One half of them are tories in North America. My gallant ships are ready to hoist you o’er the flood, And in my cause be steady, which is supremely good; Go ravage, steal, and plunder, and you shall have the prey; They quickly will knock under in North America. The laws I have enacted, I never will revoke, Although they are neglected, my fury to provoke, I will forbear to flatter, I’ll rule with mighty sway, I’ll take away the charter from North America. O George! you are distracted, you’ll by experience find The laws you have enacted are of the blackest kind. I’ll make a short digression, and tell you by the way, We fear not your oppression, in North America. Our fathers were distressed, while in their native land; By tyrants were oppressed, as I do understand; For freedom and religion they were resolved to stray, And try the desert regions of North America. Kind Heaven was their protector while on the roaring tide, Kind fortune their director, and Providence their guide; If I am not mistaken, about the first of May, This voyage was undertaken for North America. To sail they were commanded about the hour of noon, At Plymouth shore they landed, the twenty-first of June; The savages were nettled, with fear they fled away, And peaceably they settled on North America.