Eleanor Farjeon

Bad King John

John, John, bad King John
Shamed the throne that he sat on;
Not a scruple, not a straw,
Cared this monarch for the law;
Promises he daily broke;
None could trust a word he spoke;
So the Barons brought a Deed;
Down to rushy Runnymede,
Magna Carta was it hight,
Charter of the People's Right,
Framed and fashioned to correct
Kings who act with disrespect -
And with stern and solemn air,
Pointing to the parchment there,
"Sign! Sign! Sign!" they said
"Sign, King John, or resign instead!"

John, John, turning pale,
Ground his teeth and bit his nail;
Chewed his long moustache; and then
Ground and bit and chewed again.
"Plague upon the People!" he
Muttered, "What are they to me?
Plague upon the Barons, too!"
(Here he had another chew,)
But the Barons, standing by,
Eyed him with a baleful eye;
Not a finger did they lift;
Not an eyelash did they shift;
But with one tremendous roar,
Even louder than before,
"Sign! Sign! Sign!" they said,
"SIGN, KING JOHN, OR RESIGN INSTEAD!"