The Gates of Goff

This is the tale of an ancient day
   When Goff was a famous land,
A tale of its government's muddled way,
   Misguided and ill-planned.
And this is the rune writ plain upon
   The gateway into Goff:
"Oh, it's pie to pile the taxes on;
   But the devil to lift them off."
O, yez!-----O, yez!
   'Tis hard to shake them off.

To Goff there came an evil day
   Of grave commerical irk;
Depression stalked them, grim and grey
   And men fell out of work.
Then the government said: "We'll make a tax
   That want may be allayed,
A burden for wage-earners' backs,"
   But the people gladly paid.
O, yez!-----O, yez!
   In sympathy they paid.

The tax soon mounted up and up
   Unto a goodly sum;
And they who sipped the bitter cup
   Received at least a crumb
Of comfort, and were clothed and fed
   Till better days should dawn.
"'Tis only just," the people said,
   "That sustenance be drawn.
O, yez!-----O, yez!
   Let sustenance be drawn."