Flight of fancy including an allusion to the Indian Mutiny
Come cheer up Britaunia (sic) and onward fast trip
And look at the launch of this wonderful ship
To behold her in splendour some thousands did crowd
She is as large as a mountain look at her all round
She is three times as large as great London town
Wherever she goes she will much surprise all
Her stern will be in London her head in Bengal
Hurrah for the great ship to sail on the main
We shall never behold such a monster again
To conquer the rebels from England she'll start [Note 215.1]
She is forty time longer than great Noah's ark
There'll be running and jumping what terrible rigs²
There'll be horses and donkeys and moukcys (sic) and pigs
There'll be gin shops on board rats rabbits and hares
There's be courts lanes and streets cressents (sic) alleys and squares
There'll be churches and chapels and waggons with dung
There'll be thrashing machines to grind old women young
There'll be barbers and doctors and parson so big
There'll be bishops and tinkers snobs¹ Tories & Whigs
There'll be farmers squires barns harrows and ploughs
And sweet country lasses a milking their cows
There'll be Tom with his pickaxe Joe with his whip
In the Great Eastern that wonderful ship
There'll be ale shops sausage shops fried herrings and sprats
Lots of ladies decked out in their Jack Sheppard hats [Note 215.2]
With victorines stunning and fine crinolines [Note 215.5]
A donkey before and a bustle behind [Note 215.3]
Through the famed bay of Biscay the Eastern will ~oop
With twenty five millions of bold British troops
Such a sight on the ocean was never yet seen
Success to the eastern the great ocean queen
The wonderful eastern the ocean will sweep
And astonish the waves as she sails on the deep
Behold the great monster Jem Jerry and Jack
She will kill all the herrings and frighten the sprats
I say Peggy blue bottle mind where you goes [Note 215.4]
You have hurt my ankle and trod on my toes
Just keep your hands out of my pocket I say
Off goes the great eastern huzza lads huzza
When her stern is off Dover her bowsprit alas [Note 215.6]
Will be twenty nine miles away from Madras
She will frighten old Neptune¹ as on she will go
And make all the mermaids sing Erin go brogh
There's the lasses from Woolwich and Greenwich so gay
From poplar limehouse and ratcliffe highway
There is Billy Polly Sally Kitty and Joe
From Seford Stratford Whitechapel and bow
As she goes down the river with a gentle breeze
She'll astonish the natives and frighten the geese
Let us sing rule Britannia so gallant and brave
She shall never be conquered but float on the waves