Lay for the Day: 5th June

Lay for the Day 5th June

The feast-day of St Boniface (c.675–754), whose Anglo-Saxon name was Winfrith – monk, apostle to the Germans, archbishop of Mainz, martyr. He was born at Crediton in Devon, but his cult was strongest in Frisia, that region along the Dutch and west German coast to which he devoted most missionary effort. He was killed there by pagan opponents, on the banks of the river Borne near Dokkum, in Holland.

In Germany he is a patron saint of brewers.

Human Beers

Everybody here’s a human being.
Everybody hear us now as we sing:
People, draw near;
Lend us your ears,
Human beers.
Pour me
One more beer.

Some are ours and some are someone else’s,
Some are bitter, some are stout and some are Belgian.
So set down your arse
And raise up your glass,
Human beers.
Pour me
One more beer.

Let there be no moaning at the barman
When you buy another round of karma.
Don’t sell me shorts.
By pints and by quarts,
Human beers.
Pour me
One more beer.

Tread your cigarettes out in the sawdust
And we’ll go round again before last orders,
And so to bed
Where we’ll sip on our heads,
Human beers.
Pour me
One more beer.

Words and music by The Children

The Lay Reader: an archive of the poetic calendar