Parliament with it's fetid breath proclaimed our halls must open wide,
That Britons feed the wandering hordes and set our ancient cares aside;
They praised themselves for saintly grace while spending coin they’d never earned,
And left the island folk to pay for every bridge they’d later burned.
But when the guests stepped through the door, they sneered at all that made us whole,
The shepherd’s flock, the winter broth, the hearth that warmed the weary soul;
They wrinkled noses at our swine, called cattle foul and sheep unclean,
As though the land that nurtured us was some barbaric, rustic scene.
They banded close in silent knots, avoiding all our work-worn ways,
And whispered in their cloistered tongues that Britons lived in darker days;
They cast suspicion on our pride, as if affection for our land
Were something vile, a tainted creed, a wickedness to reprimand.
Then came their venom for our flag, the Union Jack they dared disdain,
Calling it symbol of our sins, a rag of hate and bitter stain;
They named us flag cult, mocked our tears for those who marched beneath its hue,
Yet never walked where heroes fell, nor paid the price the fallen knew.
They know not Crecy’s arrowed night, nor Hastings’ breathless mortal din,
Nor Waterloo’s relentless mire, nor Normandy’s red tide within;
They take the shelter others won, and gorge on freedoms bought with blood,
Yet fling contempt at those who stood where valour stemmed the tyrants’ flood.
So let them go, who spit on us, who sneer at Britain’s storied claim,
For Albion owes them nothing more if all they bring is scorn and blame;
We’ll keep the swine, the sheep, the hearth, the banner flying in the rain,
And those offended by our fields may board the nearest outbound plane.
For still she calls, through briny dusk, her voice a thunder under stone:
Stand with me, sons and daughters all, or leave me to my own alone;
The shield-wall stirs, the fyrd awakes, the island’s pulse begins to rise,
And woe betide the sneering guests who dare to claim her as their prize.
(By John Shenton)