The baker-man was kneading dough
And whistling softly, sweet and lough.
Yet ever and anon he’d cough
As though his head were coming ough!
“My word!” said he,” but this is rough:
This flour is simply awful stough!”
He punched and thumped it through and through,
As all good bakers dough!
” I’d sooner drive,” said he ” a plough
Than be a baker anyhough!”
Thus spake the baker kneading dough;
But don’t let on I told you sough!
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I own an anthology called, ‘Sing in Bright Colours’ (1975), that includes this poem. The title is ‘Ough!’ A Phonetic Fansy.
The eighth line is:
As all good bakers always dough! (Which makes a lot more sense rhythmically than leaving out ‘always’).
It seems likely that this poem has been shared around poetry sites on the internet with these mistakes. Which is very sad.
I’ve loved this poem since I learnt it in primary school more than forty years ago, so please fix that eighth line!
I’m not sure why ‘fantasy’ was substituted for the more whimsical ‘fansy’. Maybe someone was unfamiliar with that usage of ‘fancy’ and thought they were correcting a mistake!
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