I will not try to conceal it,
I’m the king of hedge and drain.
All around they know about me –
Burdy Burdock is my name.
Bear gets caught among the fir trees,
Where the midges drive him mad,
Burdy Burdock’s close by watching
Always well and always glad.
Chorus:
Hey you nettles and you swans!
Burdock’s ready to move on!
And on!
All the butterflies can settle here,
Cabbage whites land on my leaves quite near,
Even Peacock butterflies appear,
Whenever someone with a camera’s here!
Under poplar leaves so curly,
‘Neath the lime-trees’s honeyed flowers,
In the gullies and the ditches
I’m still growing all the hours.
On the hillock by the slope
St John’s wort or wild sage,
I’m there too with all my prickles,
My broad leaves are like a stage.
I might catch on to your trousers,
Come to visit you at home,
Staying even when I’m sat on
That is how I get to roam.
I may fasten to your jersey
Like a medal round and green,
I’ll keep going like a hero
On to distant lands unseen.