Six O'Clock At Mornin' Poem by William Baron

When th' factory loces uv a neet,
An' labour's o'er for th' day,
What throngs o' warkin' folk yo’ll meet,
Wi' spirits leet an' gay,
Wi' step so brisk, they trip along,
While jibe an' banter, jest an' song,
Breyk eawt fro' th' lips o' th' merry throng
When whoam fro' wark returning
But what a wondrous change we see !—
An' mony a time it's puzzled me,
Why things should so mich different be
At six o'clock at mornin'.

Yo'll see lots scutter off—pell-mell,
As six o'clock draws near;
While th' warnin' notes o' th' factory bell
Ring eawt so bowd an' clear.
While some—so cheery th' neet afooar,
Wi' faces long, an’ hearts so sooar,
Creep slowly to ther wark once mooar—
No smiles ther cheeks adornin'.
No sheawts o' laffter seawnd i' th' air,
Ther broo's are dark wi' cleawds o' care,
For life seems like a desert bare,
At six o'clock at mornin'.

Ther's th' young chap theer 'at cuts a dash,
An' dons up every neet,
He's short o' nowt but brains an' cash,
For he's plenty o' conceit.
Wi' th' billiard-cue he's quite a don,
Gets tumblin' drunk to be a mon,
An' sooa in vice he rushes on,
Nor ever thinks o’ turnin'.
His blood-shot een, his features pale,
His limbs 'at strength begins to fail,
They tell a sad an' weary tale
At six o'clock at mornin'.

Yo'll see some odd un's, rayther late,
Come pushin' on ther way ;
They hurry deawn tort th' factory gate
Wi' feelin's far fro' gay.
They're past ther time—they feet quite sure.
An' as they enter th' watch-heawse dooar,
They yer ther tackier rave an' rooar—
Ther wild excuses scornin'.
An' then as to ther looms they run,.
They find 'at someb'dys set 'em on,
An' med a greyt big ' trap ' i' one
At six o'clock at mornin'.

An' sooa they peyl along throo th' day,
Til neet comes on again ;
But o ther trubbles fly away
When freed fro' labour's chain.
It's quite a study, aw declare,
To see heaw th' humbler classes fare,
O' toil an' strife they hev ther share
As th' wheel o' life keeps turnin'.
Tho' factory life's weel mixed wi' woe,
Yo'll find it mixed wi' joys an' o,
But th' biggest drawback uv it o
Is—six o'clock at mornin'.