Poem

Lay Your Ears Back and Fight

by Henry Lawson · 1891

When you drink of what the poets rave about as "sorrer's cup",And yer mouth, in spite of laughin', gits a curve the wrong way up,Do not whine for help or pity; never cringe at fortunes frown--Lay yer list'ners back and fight until you fight yer sorrers down!
Though the world on empty pockets is at times a little harshAnd the weights of care are clinging to the ends of your mustarsh,Never let yer grief boil over; it is nothing to the town--Lay yer list'ners back and battle till you fight yer sorres down!
When the law of gravitation lays a hand upon yer heart,An' the "slings an' arrers" fetch yer and you feel 'em pretty smart,When you cannot find a billet, and you haven't half-a-crown--Lay yer list'ners hack and fight until you fight yer sorrers down!
When the gilt upon the future wears in places very thin,Look as if there's nothink crooked, try an' summon up a grin;There's a mask that you must always wear the other way about--Lay yer list'ners back and battle till you knock yer sorrers out.
Sources, publication & text notesReference details
Canonical recordPOEM-000367
Copy-textProject Gutenberg Australia, Collected Poems of Henry Lawson (2022), anchor p104; selected digital copy-text retained exactly; wording and layout confirmed against Ironbark Resources under D-180
Source recordSRC-000066
Rights determinationRGT-000541
Text statusCANONICAL TEXT READY
TranscriptionDIPLOMATIC_D208_D180

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While The Billy Boils · Public-domain text · www.whilethebillyboils.com.au/poems/lay-your-ears-back-and-fight

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