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Poem
August 27, 1864
Springfield Weekly Republican
Springfield, Hampden County, Massachusetts
What is this article about?
Humorous poem mocking the ugly, dilapidated old church in West Granby, Connecticut, describing its faded pulpit, broken windows, rotten roof, and infestations, and proposing to tear it down to heat local ovens.
Clipping
OCR Quality
98%
Excellent
Full Text
THAT OLD CHURCH,
There is an old church in West Granby.
As ugly and grim as it can be
And its walls are as black
As a ditty bear's back-
This dismal old church in West Granby
Its pulpit is faded and dirty,
And its windows, some twenty or thirty.
Have lost all their glazing,
And cattle are gazing
Round this airy old church in West Granby
Its roof is all rotten and leaky
And its timbers are shrunken and squeaky
Its pews swarm with rats,
And its spaces with bats-
This forsaken old church in West Granby.
If I had my home in West Granby,
(It's as pretty a village as can be)
I'd pull the thing down
In the midst of the town,
And heat all the ovens in West Granby.
There is an old church in West Granby.
As ugly and grim as it can be
And its walls are as black
As a ditty bear's back-
This dismal old church in West Granby
Its pulpit is faded and dirty,
And its windows, some twenty or thirty.
Have lost all their glazing,
And cattle are gazing
Round this airy old church in West Granby
Its roof is all rotten and leaky
And its timbers are shrunken and squeaky
Its pews swarm with rats,
And its spaces with bats-
This forsaken old church in West Granby.
If I had my home in West Granby,
(It's as pretty a village as can be)
I'd pull the thing down
In the midst of the town,
And heat all the ovens in West Granby.
What sub-type of article is it?
Satire
Ballad
What themes does it cover?
Satire Society
What keywords are associated?
West Granby
Old Church
Church Decay
Satirical Poem
Humorous Verse
Village Life
Poem Details
Title
That Old Church,
Subject
Description Of The Old Church In West Granby
Form / Style
Rhymed Stanzas
Key Lines
There Is An Old Church In West Granby.
As Ugly And Grim As It Can Be
And Its Walls Are As Black
As A Ditty Bear's Back
Its Pews Swarm With Rats,
And Its Spaces With Bats
I'd Pull The Thing Down
In The Midst Of The Town,
And Heat All The Ovens In West Granby.