Analysis of Joe Ramsbottom
Marriott Edgar 1880 (Kirkcudbright) – 1951 (Battle)
Joe Ramshottom rented a bit of a farm
From its owner, Squire Goslett his name;
And the Gosletts came over with William the First,
And found Ramsbottoms here when they came.
One day Joe were ploughing his three-acre field
When the front of his plough hit a rock,
And on closer inspection o' t' damage he found
As the coulter had snapped wi' the shock.
He'd got a spare coulter at home in his shed,
But that were some distance away,
And he reckoned by t' time he had been there and back
He'd have wasted best part of the day.
The accident 'appened not far from the place
Where the Squire had his sumptuous abode;
He thought he might borrow a coulter from him,
And save going back all that road.
He were going to ask... but he suddenly stopped,
And he said " Nay-I'd better not call;
He might think it cheek I borrowed from him,
I'd best get my own after all."
He were going off back when he turned to himself
And said "That's a gormless idea;
The land you were ploughing belongs to the Squire,
It were 'is rock as caused all this 'ere!"
This 'eartened Joe up, so he set off again,
But he very soon stopped as before,
And he said 'Happen Squire'II have comp'ny to tea,
Nay I'd, better go round to t' back.
Then he answered himself in a manner quite stern
And said "Here's a nice how-de-do!
You can manage without him when all's said and done,
And where would he be without you?"
Joe knew this were right and he knew it were just,
But he didn't seem happy somehow,
So he said "Well, there's no harm in paying a call,
And I needn't say owt about plough."
This suggestion that he were afraid of the Squire
Were most deeply resented by Joe;
He said "Right! I'll show you... I'll go up at once,
At the worst he can only say 'No.''
Then he said "After all as I've done in the past
He would have a nerve to decline;
He ought to be thankful to give me his plough,
Seein'' damage his rock did to mine.
Then he said "Who is he To be puffed up wi' pride,
And behave as if he were King Dick
He's only a farmer the same as myself,
As I'll tell him an' all- Jolly quick."
Then he turned round and looked himself straight in the face,
And he said "What you're scared of beats me;
Ramsbottoms was landlords when Gosletts was nowt,
And it's him should be working for thee!"
Then he said "I'm surprised at myself, so I am,
To think I should so condescend
As to come hat in hand to a feller like 'im
And ask if he's owt he can lend."
This argument brought him to Squire's front door,
It were open and Squire stood inside;
He said "Hello, Joe... What brings thee right up here?"
"You'll know in a tick," Joe replied.
He said "P'raps you think yourself better than me,
Well, I'm telling you straight that you're not
And I don't want your coulter... Your plough-or your farm,
You can-do what you like with the lot."
Scheme | ABCB XDXD XEFE GHIH XJIJ KXLX XMNF XOXO XPJP LQXQ XRPR STKT GNCN XUIU MSXS NVAV |
---|---|
Poetic Form | Quatrain (88%) |
Metre | 111001101 11101111 00111011001 0111111 1110111101 101111101 0110010111011 101011101 11011011011 11011001 0110111111101 111011101 0100111101 101111001 1111101011 01101111 101011111001 011111011 111111111 11111101 101011111101 01101010 0110101101 101111111 1111111101 111011101 0111011111 111011111 111001001011 01101111 111001111101 01111011 11101011101 11101101 111111101001 011011011 101011001101 011001011 11111111111 101111011 111101111001 11101101 11111011111 11011111 111111111111 001111011 1100100111 111111101 111101011001 011111111 1111111 011111011 11110111111 1111101 111101101011 01111111 1100111111 101001101 11011111111 11001101 111111011011 111011111 011111011111 111111101 |
Closest metre | Iambic pentameter |
Characters | 2,751 |
Words | 554 |
Sentences | 24 |
Stanzas | 16 |
Stanza Lengths | 4, 4, 4, 4, 4, 4, 4, 4, 4, 4, 4, 4, 4, 4, 4, 4 |
Lines Amount | 64 |
Letters per line (avg) | 33 |
Words per line (avg) | 8 |
Letters per stanza (avg) | 131 |
Words per stanza (avg) | 34 |
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Submitted on May 13, 2011
Modified on March 18, 2023
- 2:51 min read
- 103 Views
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"Joe Ramsbottom" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 3 Jun 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem-analysis/26570/joe-ramsbottom>.
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