At Dudley Market, now I tell,
Most kind of articles they sell;
The women take the greatest care
To buy up crocks and earthenware,
Milkpans, and colliers' tots,
Coloured cups and chamber-pots.
Old shoes to sell, there stands close by,
With shabby strings--the same they tie;
If in those shoes you walk about,
The bottoms soon will tumble out--
Hats, caps, and bonnets blue,
And trowsers wide enough for two.--
If you pop round the market place
There you may buy a farthing lace;
Besides penknives, for Jack and Jim,
And razors for the daddy's chin--
Rocking-chairs and children's cradles,
Porridge-pots and wooden ladles.--
Kash from Walsall, kills the worms;
Judas brings a salve for corns;
Mind these men or you'll be bitten--
Black Jack's wife brings salve from Tipton--
At the top of the Shambles Sally stands,
She holds the basket in her hands:
"Now my good people don't be lacking,
Here you may buy the best of blacking."
Just below, the butchers there you'll find,
With shows of meat to please the mind;
From most parts these butchers come;
Mind the steelyard--twig the thumb.--
There's hares, rabbits, and partridges, and pheasants, too,
Some are shot by sportsmen, and some are hung by the neck, too--
There's butter, bacon, cheese, and eggs,
Sold by old Giles with crooked legs--
More than that if you just turn round,
There's gingerbread eightpence a pound!
Besides plum pudding, both rich and nice,
On the next stall twopence a slice.--
In Stoney Street there stands the swine,
Both right and left all in a line;
They sell these pigs so much per score,
So on that street I'll say no more.--
Come, to a tavern let us go,
There's some above and some below;
There's one that keeps good ale and pop,
He also keeps a liquor shop;
He sells roast beef down in Queen Street,
His house is always clean and neat--
Old Nanny Mason comes in with her nuts,
And on the floor her basket puts;
A curtsey drops, "Kind sirs," says she,
"Mine age is nearly eighty-three."--
Old Timms comes in, "All hot," did cry,
And you may either toss or buy.--
There's one-arm'd Joe among the lot,
With mutton pies all smoking hot.
Please to remember what I have said:
You will never hear the like again.