R.P. And The Elite Poem by John Carter Brown

Received Pronunciation is a nonsense
A subterfuge, a con, a trick, a scam;
A ruse to keep the riff-raff from the party,
It's nothing but a clever social sham.

'They' craftily designed it for the purpose
Of distancing themselves far from the shoal
Of proletariat, who find the accent
A false and highfalutin rigmarole.

And cleverly concealed beneath it's cover
Of right and true respectability
This monster sings it's hearty song fortissimo, and
Is all in all anathema to me.

Conceived in unadulterated arrogance
To raise themselves above the 'lowerlings',
This false elite still pull the strings of power,
They swagger forth, and loud the monster sings.

And we the common people take for granted
The sway that's held o'er all this pleasant land
By Dukes and Lords and Baronets etc,
And all that clique, that I think should be banned.

Without R.P. the ordinary citizen
Can never rise above his lowly station
Received Pronunciation is a must if he has thoughts,
Or any hopes of ruling this our nation.

But I have seen a weakness in the system
Which we can use, as in reality
To 'them' our accents are as simply babble,
While we can fully understand R.P.

And so my friends I warn you, don't be fooled by
This thing we've known as true democracy;
It's nothing such at all, it's just a means to an end,
Devised by all the Aristocracy.

(Written June 2013)