1.
There was an old lady lived over the sea,
And she was an island queen;
Her daughter lived off in a new country,
‖: With an ocean of water between. :‖ (×3)
2.
The old lady’s pockets were full of gold,
But never contented was she;
So she called to her daughter to pay her a tax
‖: Of ‘threepence’ a pound on her tea. :‖ (×3)
3.
‘Now, mother, dear mother,’ the daughter replied,
‘I shan’t do the thing that you ax;
I’m willing to pay a fair price for the tea,
‖: But never the thrippenny tax.’ :‖ (×3)
4.
‘You shall,’ quoth the mother, and reddened with rage,
‘For you’re my own daughter, ye see;
And sure ’tis quite proper the daughter should pay
‖: Her mother a tax on her tea.’ :‖ (×3)
5.
And so the old lady her servants called up,
And packed off a budget of tea,
And, eager for thrippence a pound, she put in
‖: Enough for a large family. :‖ (×3)
6.
She ordered her servants to bring home the tax,
Declaring her child should obey,
Or, old as she was, and almost woman-grown,
‖: She’d half whip her life away. :‖ (×3)
7.
The tea was conveyed to the daughter’s door,
All down by the ocean side,
And the bouncing girl poured out every pound
‖: In the dark and boiling tide. :‖ (×3)
8.
And then she called out to the island queen,
‘Oh, mother, dear mother,’ quoth she,
‘Your tea you may have, when ’tis steeped enough,
But never a tax from me –
‖: No, never a tax from me.’ :‖