There was an old lady lived over the sea
And she was an island queen
Her daughter lived out in a far country
With an ocean of water between
The old lady’s pockets were full of gold
But never content was she
So she called on her daughter to pay her a tax
Of three pence a pound on her tea
Oh, mother, dear mother, the daughter replied
I’ll ne’er do the thing you ax
I’m willing to pay a fair price for the tea
But never a three penny tax
You shall, quoth the mother and reddened with rage
For you’re my own daughter, you see
And sure ’tis quite proper a daughter should pay
Her mother a tax on her tea
And so the old lady her servants called up
And packed off a budget of tea
And eager for three pence a pound, she put in
Enough for a large family
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
The tea was conveyed to the daughter’s door
All down by the ocean’s side
But the bouncing girl poured out every pound
In the dark and boiling tide
And then she called out to the island queen
Oh, mother, dear mother, cried she
The tea you may have when ’tis steeped enough
But never a tax from me
