Thatched Cottage

Lyrics

The lady takes the paper in her hand
A shilling slip of Bristol board and wash
She praises how the rustic features stand
And hovers on the precipice of hush
I watch the husband standing by the grate
He studies the mahogany and waits
For me to name the subject of the art
This little rural dwelling of the heart

It is a thatched cottage, ma'am, I say
A snug retreat to pass the summer days
Observe the heavy eaves above the door
The shadows dropping softly to the floor
So welcoming, so sheltered from the breeze
A gentleman could fall upon his knees

I painted it from memory, of course
A tavern joke dressed up in broadcloth coat
But seated on the velvet chair, the source
Is safely hidden in a parlor throat

My tongue just catches on the velvet 'th'
Before I build the roof and lay the path
She smiles and says it looks so very warm
A proper place to shelter from the storm

A little thatched cottage, ma'am, indeed
A quiet corner where a man might read
Observe the heavy eaves above the door
The untrimmed borders sweeping to the floor
So welcoming, so sheltered from the breeze
A gentleman could fall upon his knees

Down at the pub, the men will speak in mud
Of roaring fires and the rushing flood
But in the drawing room, the lines are glass
We polish up the copper into brass
The art of speaking to a double room
Is keeping all the quiet parts in tune

Just a thatched cottage, for the wall
The most domestic scenery of all
Observe the heavy eaves above the door
The shadows dropping softly to the floor
So welcoming, so sheltered from the breeze
A gentleman could fall upon his knees

She buys it for a silver crown
He hangs it upside down