The Farmer's Lament

Clarence Michael James Stanislaus Dennis 1876 (Auburn) – 1938 (Melbourne)



'The backbone of the country and the salt of all the earth'
 That was how they styled us when the farmer had his worth.
 But what's his valuation now, when times are pretty thin?
Chorus:
 Two bob a dozen, an' the garments given in.
Solo:
We made the country's money an' we paid the country's way,
We raised the wealth for cities from the farm thro' many a day;
But what's the price of farmers now the profits disappeared?
Chorus:
 Two bob a dozen, an' a bonus on the beard.
Solo:
 They'll pay to patch machinery or cure old Dobbin's sprain;
 But they cannot spare a stiver when the farmer gets a pain;
  For what's the use o' mendin' him when all he's valued at
Chorus:
Is two bob a dozen, if he's nice an' prime an' fat.
Solo:
But the farmer ain't repinin', tho' his price is down an' out.
There's a good time  comin' soon without the smallest doubt;
But, till the world wins sanity, he's got to be content
Chorus:
With two bob a dozen, cash with order ten per cent.

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Submitted on May 13, 2011

Modified on March 05, 2023

59 sec read
65

Quick analysis:

Scheme aabCbDeefCfDgghChDiijCj
Closest metre Iambic pentameter
Characters 956
Words 186
Stanzas 1
Stanza Lengths 23

Clarence Michael James Stanislaus Dennis

Clarence Michael James Stanislaus Dennis, better known as C. J. Dennis, was an Australian poet known for his humorous poems, especially "The Songs of a Sentimental Bloke", published in the early 20th century. Though Dennis's work is less well known today, his 1915 publication of The Sentimental Bloke sold 65,000 copies in its first year, and by 1917 he was the most prosperous poet in Australian history. Together with Banjo Paterson and Henry Lawson, both of whom he had collaborated with, he is often considered among Australia's three most famous poets. While attributed to Lawson by 1911, Dennis later claimed he himself was the 'laureate of the larrikin'. When he died at the age of 61, the Prime Minister of Australia Joseph Lyons suggested he was destined to be remembered as the 'Australian Robert Burns'. more…

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