Buckingham Palace
They're changing guard at Buckingham Palace -
Christopher Robin went down with Alice.
Alice is marrying one of the guard.
"A soldier's life is terrible hard,"
Says Alice.
They're changing guard at Buckingham Palace -
Christopher Robin went down with Alice.
We saw a guard in a sentry-box.
"One of the sergeants looks after their socks,"
Says Alice.
They're changing guard at Buckingham Palace -
Christopher Robin went down with Alice.
We looked for the King, but he never came.
"Well, God take care of him, all the same,"
Says Alice.
They're changing guard at Buckingham Palace -
Christopher Robin went down with Alice.
They've great big parties inside the grounds.
"I wouldn't be King for a hundred pounds,"
Says Alice.
They're changing guard at Buckingham Palace -
Christopher Robin went down with Alice.
A face looked out, but it wasn't the King's.
"He's much too busy a-signing things,"
Says Alice.
They're changing guard at Buckingham Palace -
Christopher Robin went down with Alice.
"Do you think the King knows all about me?"
"Sure to, dear, but it's time for tea,"
Says Alice.
Commentary
The fashionably cynical will find plenty to mock at in A. A. Milne. There’s no denying that his poetry lacks depth: it’s irritatingly self-satisfied, determinedly insular, and above all, ineffably twee.
And yet…
There’s a certain magic about Milne. His verse may not be Great Art, but it’s more than mere doggerel. It’s charming, and assured, and unselfconscious; it’s invariably cheerful, often nostalgic and occasionally subversively funny; it celebrates the Edwardian countryside and the English experience with sincerity and honesty, and it does all these in words both light-hearted and heartfelt. To criticise Milne’s poetry for its lack of depth is to miss the point entirely: simplicity can be a virtue. Especially in these sophisticated days.
— Thomas
Minstrels Links
A. A. Milne:
Poem #91, Cottleston Pie
Poem #463, Disobedience
Poem #562, The King’s Breakfast
Poem #576, Tra-la-la, tra-la-la
Show 5 commentsHide comments
From the Wondering Minstrels mailing list, 1999–2008.
suresh · 25 March 2002
Wasn’t there a PG Wodehouse poem published on minstrels once - a hilarious parody of Milne’s poetry?
Wodehouse isn’t fashionably cynical at all… he just gently rips Milne’s poetry to shreds, each time :)
–srs
Mike Christie · 25 March 2002
Re triple rhymes: you might want to take a look at
[broken link] http://public.logica.com/~stepneys/sf/filk/xena.htm
which is a brilliant G&S parody written by Kevin Wald. Wald writes light verse for a verse-based puzzle organization, the National Puzzlers’ League (puzzlers.org). This is not a puzzle, however; it’s just a sparklingly funny use of the G&S style.
Your guidelines indicate you’re more interested in using poems by established poets, so you may not want to use this–though a Google search finds it has spread like wildfire across the net, so it’s on its way to becoming an established “Anon”, I think. Anyway, I recommend you take a look; I think you’ll enjoy it.
Mike
RS Bedell · 9 March 2004
I don’t care if it’s not fashionable. I like the rhythm, I can remember all the verses and I’m going to make it my birthday poem. Shame on those who make fun of it! I’d like to see them come up with a better one!
Darren Forster · 24 April 2005
Anyone know who sung this song in the 1950s/60s??? I think it’s a top tune and would really love to get hold of a version of it on CD.
Alexx Kay · 11 July 2005
A very nice musical version of this poem was done by The Flash Girls, on their album “Play Each Morning, Wild Queen”.