There is a wealthy people,
Who sojourn in that land,
Their churches all with steeples
Most delicately stand:
Their houses like the gilly,
Are painted red and gay:
They flourish like the lily
In North America.
Their land with milk and honey
Continually doth flow,
The want of food or money
They seldom ever know:
They heap up golden treasure,
They have no debts to pay,
They spend their time in pleasure
In North America.
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 askèd,
His majesty did say,
My subjects shall be taxèd
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 waft 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.