And before him the Mace and Sword they bear,
And the little boys run and shout behind.
How did it happen to this King Coal
That he came to be called by the name of Cruel?
'Twas because the old tyrant cribbed and stole,
By his cunning contrivance, poor men's fuel.
Cruel King Coal and his merry men,
Twenty and five fat rogues were they,
Cabbaged fourpence a chaldron first, then ten,
And a penny to boot made poor folks pay.