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King John’s Christmas · Ririro.com - Poetry

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  Speaker 1: King John's Christmas. King John was not a good man.
• 0:06
  Speaker 1: He had his little ways, and sometimes no one spoke
• 0:10
  Speaker 1: to him for days and days and days, and men
• 0:15
  Speaker 1: who came across him when walking in the town gave
• 0:19
  Speaker 1: him a supercillious stare, or passed with noses in the
• 0:23
  Speaker 1: air and bad King John stood dumbly there, blushing beneath
• 0:29
  Speaker 1: his crown. King John was not a good man, and
• 0:34
  Speaker 1: no good friends had he. He stayed in every afternoon,
• 0:39
  Speaker 1: but no one came to tea, and round about December.
• 0:44
  Speaker 1: The cards upon his shelf, which wished him lots of
• 0:48
  Speaker 1: Christmas cheer and fortune in the coming year, were never
• 0:53
  Speaker 1: from his near and dear, but only from himself. King
• 0:59
  Speaker 1: John was not a good man, yet had his hopes
• 1:03
  Speaker 1: and fears. They'd given him no present now for years
• 1:08
  Speaker 1: and years and years. But every year at Christmas, while
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  Speaker 1: minstrels stood about collecting tribute from the young for all
• 1:18
  Speaker 1: the songs they might have sung, he stole away upstairs
• 1:23
  Speaker 1: and hung a hopeful stalking out. King John was not
• 1:28
  Speaker 1: a good man. He lived his life aloof alone. He
• 1:33
  Speaker 1: thought a message out while climbing up the roof. He
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  Speaker 1: wrote it down and propped it against the chimney stack
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  Speaker 1: to all and sundry near and far f Christmas in particular,
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  Speaker 1: and signed it not Johannes R. But very humbly Jack.
• 1:58
  Speaker 1: I want some crackers and I want some candy. I
• 2:02
  Speaker 1: think a box of chocolates would come in handy. I
• 2:06
  Speaker 1: don't mind oranges, I do like nuts, and I should
• 2:11
  Speaker 1: like a pocket knife that really cuts. And oh, Father Christmas,
• 2:16
  Speaker 1: if you love me at all, bring me a big
• 2:20
  Speaker 1: red India rubber ball. King John was not a good man.
• 2:26
  Speaker 1: He wrote this message out and got him to his
• 2:29
  Speaker 1: room again, descending by the spout, and all that night
• 2:34
  Speaker 1: he lay there, a prey to hopes and fears. I
• 2:39
  Speaker 1: think that's him a coming now, anxiety bedewed his brow.
• 2:45
  Speaker 1: He'll bring one present anyhow, the first I've had for years.
• 2:52
  Speaker 1: Forget about the crackers, and forget about the candy. I'm
• 2:56
  Speaker 1: sure a box of chocolates would never come in handy.
• 3:00
  Speaker 1: I don't like oranges, I don't want nuts, and I
• 3:04
  Speaker 1: have got a pocket knife that almost cuts. But oh,
• 3:09
  Speaker 1: Father Christmas, if you love me at all, bring me
• 3:13
  Speaker 1: a big red India rubber ball. King John was not
• 3:19
  Speaker 1: a good man. Next morning, when the sun rose up
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  Speaker 1: to tell a wading world that Christmas had begun, And
• 3:27
  Speaker 1: people seized their stockings and opened them with glee, and crackers,
• 3:33
  Speaker 1: toys and games appeared, and lips with sticky sweets were smeared.
• 3:39
  Speaker 1: King John said grimly, as I feared nothing again for me.
• 3:46
  Speaker 1: I did want crackers, and I did want candy. I
• 3:50
  Speaker 1: know a box of chocolates would come in handy. I
• 3:53
  Speaker 1: do love oranges, I did want nuts. I haven't got
• 3:58
  Speaker 1: a pocket knife that cuts. And oh, if Father Christmas
• 4:04
  Speaker 1: had loved me at all, he would have brought a
• 4:07
  Speaker 1: big red India rubber ball. King John stood by the
• 4:12
  Speaker 1: window and frowned to see below the happy bands of
• 4:17
  Speaker 1: boys and girls, all playing in the snow. A while
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  Speaker 1: he stood there, watching and envying them all, when through
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  Speaker 1: the window, big and red there hurtled by his royal head,
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  Speaker 1: and bounced and fell upon the bed an India rubber ball.
• 4:38
  Speaker 1: And oh, Father Christmas, my blessings on you fall for
• 4:42
  Speaker 1: bringing him a big red India rubber ball.