The Silent Ones

 I'm just an ordinary chap
 Who comes home to his tea,
And mostly I don't care a rap
 What people think of me;
I do my job and take my pay,
 And love of peace expound;
But as I go my patient way,
 --Don't push me round.

Though I respect authority
 And order never flout,
When Law and Justice disagree
 You can include me out.
The Welfare State I tolerate
 If it is kept in bound,
But if you wish to rouse my hate
 --Just push me round.

And that's the way with lots of us:
 We want to feel we're free;
So labour governments we cuss
 And mock at monarchy.
Yea, we are men of secret mirth,
 And fury seldom sound;
But if you value peace on earth
 --Don't push us round.

Form: Ballad Comments

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Book: Diverse Voices: The Poetry of Human Rights and the Pursuit of Peace