Song of the Shirt by Thomas Hood.

Part 2 of 6.

"Work—work

—work,
Till the brain begins to swim;
Work—work—work,
Till the eyes are heavy and dim!
Seam, and gusset, and band,
Band, and gusset, and seam,
Till over the buttons I fall asleep,
And sew them on in a dream!

"O, men, with sisters dear!
O, men, with mothers and wives!
It is not linen you're wearing out,
But human creatures' lives!
Stitch—stitch—stitch,
In poverty, hunger and dirt,
Sewing at once, with a double thread,
A Shroud as well as a Shirt.

Comments

nanoo

I like rihanna work work more 😂😂😂

2020.05.25 15:08
Shamus

@Ayerhs It's from the 19th Century. The poem was written in 1843. 177 years ago.

2020.05.25 11:26
Ayerhs

@Shamus Thank you for the wikipedia information. What would be the timeperiod for this incident..Roughly in centuries?

2020.05.25 11:22
SOUL

It’s touched my heart

2020.05.25 11:08
David

You have a beautiful British accent.

2020.05.25 10:32
Shamus

The following information about this poem is from Wikipedia: It was written in honour of a Mrs. Biddell, a widow and seamstress living in wretched conditions. In what was, at that time, common practice, Mrs. Biddell sewed trousers and shirts in her home using materials given to her by her employer for which she was forced to give a £2 deposit. In a desperate attempt to feed her starving infants, Mrs. Biddell pawned the clothing she had made, thus accruing a debt she could not pay. Mrs. Biddell, whose first name has not been recorded, was sent to a workhouse, and her ultimate fate is unknown; however, her story became a catalyst for those who actively opposed the wretched conditions of England’s working poor, who often spent seven days a week labouring under inhumane conditions, barely managing to survive and with no prospect for relief. Thank you for listening. 🙏💔

2020.05.25 10:21