They gathered round and listened to my tale, not often spoke,
of pistol-bearing smugglers, ungentlemanly folk.
Who, when they pass, in dead of night,
will watch for you. Stay out of sight!
If you don’t know, you’ll be alright.
Just leave them, don’t provoke.

Tell me, tell me now, tell, what did they do?
Tell me, tell me now, tell, what did they do?
Tell me, tell me now, tell, what did they do?
Let me tell you what they did,
they didn’t pay their duty!

In Newhaven, a Customs Man, called Matson, did his best
to halt the smugglers in their stride and put their trade to rest.
He saw them, chased them like a hound.
He fired his gun, and at that sound
a dying smuggler hit the ground.
To that, I can attest.

Tell me, tell me now, tell, what did he do?
Tell me, tell me now, tell, what did he do?
Tell me, tell me now, tell, what did he do?
Let me tell you what he did,
he only did his duty!

And after that, the smuggler’s gang was seeking retribution.
They wanted vengeance for their mate and thought of a solution.
They kidnapped Matson, then and there.
They dragged him to their smugglers’ lair.
And Matson started to prepare
to face his execution.

But wait! Events weren’t going in the way that Matson thought.
It turns out he’d been taken there to face a Smugglers’ Court.
The charge was ‘Murder’, no surprise.
He saw the hatred in their eyes.
He searched for those who’d sympathise,
who’d give him their support.

The case was put, against and for the wretched-looking soul.
And once the evidence was heard, the smugglers took a poll.
The votes were tallied in plain sight,
and double-checked, so they were right.
Would Matson be set free that night,
or buried in a hole?

Before I tell you Matson’s fate, the moral of this ode
is smugglers, though they’re tough and mean, live by the ‘Smuggler’s Code’.
And Matson, by a vote of 10
was found ‘Not Guilty’, and so then
the smugglers let him go again.
So grateful, off he rode!

Tell me, tell me now, tell, what did they do?
Tell me, tell me now, tell, what did they do?
Tell me, tell me now, tell, what did they do?.
Let me tell you what they did,
they only did their duty!

Tell me, tell me now, tell, what did he do?
Tell me, tell me now, tell, what did he do?
Tell me, tell me now, tell, what did he do?
Let me tell you what he did,
he only did his duty!

by Mike Flood (2019) - all rights reserved