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Wynford
Brierley, a member of the Failsworth Industrial Society, wrote the following
lines in 1889, as his tribute to the “new” pole.
Friends,
naybors, visitors an' o’,
I cannot
help but give a crow,
So,
cock—a—doodle—dot
Once more
I stand upon a pole,
Where I
can hear the church bell toll,
As time
doth onward roll.
In times
gone by I’ve stood up here,
But never
felt a doubt or fear,
Though
once I shed a tear —When bobbin wheels and looms were stopped,
An’ wages
an’ folks’ spirits dropped,
But don’t
things were popped.
There
were no pop—shops i’ thoose days,
Folk’s
were no’ guilty o’ such ways,
They’d.
no such costly craze;
Their
poverty they bravely bore,
Until
that Yankee war wur o’er,
Which
monny a heart made sore.
But
better days sin’ then have come,
Altho’
yo’r wark’s not o’ aw hoam,
But then,
yo’ know, I’m preaud misel’,
Just look
at me, bright as a bell.
I ne’er
looked half so well;
I’m
gilded o’er fro’ corn’ to tail,
An’
noather rain, nor snow, or hail,
Shall mak’
my courage fail.
I dar’say
some will think it queer,
When towd.
I’ve plenty o’ news up here
O’er
N—E-W—S I veer; (
So, if
there’s owt yo’ want to know,
From
banquets to an onion show,
I’ll try
to tell yo’ o’
In
politics I never sinned,
My faith
to no man’s views is pinned.,
I always
face the wind;
I’m
noather red nor blue, it’s true
I’m the
prattiest cock that ever flew,
An’ th’
best yo8 ever knew.
An’ neaw,
I’ll thank yo’ for this pow, (pole)
To no
cock in the world. I’ll bow,
But don’t
forget yo’r vow;
Till with
a fountain I am blest,
I cannot
and will not rest,
So, each
one, do yo’r best. WB.
It was
originally intended to erect a fountain at the foot of the pole, and the
Failsworth Industrial Society promised £5.5s towards the cost. This part of the
scheme, however, did not come about.
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