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Badger Lyrics by John Clare

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The badger grunting on his woodland track
With shaggy hide and sharp nose scrowed with black
Roots in the bushes and the woods, and makes
A great high burrow in the ferns and brakes.
With nose on ground he runs an awkward pace,
And anything will beat him in the race.
The shepherd's dog will run him to his den
Followed and hooted by the dogs and men.
The woodman when the hunting comes about
Goes round at night to stop the foxes out
And hurrying through the bushes to the chin
Breaks the old holes, and tumbles headlong in.

When midnight comes a host of dogs and men
Go out and track the badger to his den
And put a sack within the hole, and lie
Till the old grunting badger passes by
He comes an hears - they let the strongest loose
The old fox gears the noise and drops the goose
The poacher shoots and hurries from the cry
And the old hare half wounded buzzes by
They get a forked stick to bear him down
And clap the dogs and take him to the town
And bait him all the day with many dogs
And laugh and shout and fright the scampering hogs
He runs along and bites at all he meets
They shout and hollo down the noisy streets

He turns about to face the loud uproar
And drives the rebels to their very door
The frequent stone is hurled where'er they go
When badgers fight, then everyone's a foe
The dogs are clapped and urged to join the fray'
The badger turns and drives them all away
Though scarcely half as big, demure and small
He fights with dogs for hours and beats them all
The heavy mastiff, savage in the fray
Lies down and licks his feet and turns away
The bulldog knows his match and waxes cold
The badger grins and never leaves his hold
He drives the crowd and follows at their heels
And bites them through - the drunkard swears and reels

The frighted women take the boys away,
The blackguard laughs and hurries on the fray
He tries to reach the woods, and awkward race
But sticks and cudgels quickly stop the chase
He turns again and drives the noisy crowd
And beats the many dogs in noises loud
He drives away and beats them every one
And then they loose them all and set them on
He falls as dead and kicked by boys and men
Then starts and grins and drives the crowd again
Till kicked and torn and beaten out he lies
And leaves his hold and crackles, groans, and dies

Some keep a baited badger tame as hog
And tame him till he follows like the dog.
They urge him on like dogs and show fair play.
He beats and scarcely wounded goes away.
Lapt up as if asleep, he scorns to fly
And seizes any dog that ventures nigh.
Clapt like a dog, he never bites the men
But worries dogs and hurries to his den.
They let him out and turn a harrow down
And there he fights the host of all the town.
He licks the patting hand, and tries to play
And never tries to bite or run away,
And runs away from the noise in hollow trees
Burnt by the boys to get a swarm of bees.
Credits
John Clare

John Clare

About “Badger” by John Clare

Read the complete lyrics to "Badger" by John Clare. On Lyrks you can follow along with the full text, explore the artist's discography, and discover related songs. The track is often categorized under Poetry, Non-Music, Literature.

"Badger" is performed by John Clare. This page provides the full lyric text for fans who want to sing along, study the songwriting, or compare versions across releases. Lyrks organizes lyrics by artist and song slug so you can bookmark and share a stable URL. Music lyrics help listeners connect with emotion, narrative, and rhythm in a track. Whether you are learning English, researching a favorite chorus, or preparing for karaoke, having accurate line breaks and section labels (verse, chorus, bridge) makes the experience easier. We link to the official artist profile on Lyrks where available, including biography snippets, top songs, and chart placements when we have that data. If you enjoy "Badger", explore more songs by John Clare using the links below. Chart and trending pages on Lyrks highlight what listeners are searching for this week. For copyright or correction requests, see our DMCA and contact pages.

View all songs and biography for John Clare · Trending lyrics · Billboard Hot 100

Frequently asked questions

"Badger" is credited to John Clare. Songwriting credits may include additional writers listed on the release; check the credits section on this page for linked collaborators.

Album information for "Badger" is not available in our database yet. You can still read the full lyrics on this page.

Visit the John Clare artist page at /artist/john-clare for biography, popular tracks, and links to more lyric pages.

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