[Chorus]
Poverty, poverty knock
Me loom is a-saying all day
Poverty, poverty knock
The gaffer's too skinny to pay
Poverty, poverty knock
I'm keeping me eye on the clock
For I know I can guttle
When I hear my shuttle
Go poverty, poverty knock

[Verse 1]
Up every morning at five
I wonder that we keep alie
For we're tired and yawning
All on this cold morning
And back to the dreary drive

Oh no we're going to be late
The gaffer is stood at the gate
We're out of pocket
Our wages they're docked
We'll have to buy grub on the slate

[Chorus]

[Verse 2]
And when our wages they'll bring
We're often short of a string
And while we're out [?]
[?]
We know to his breast he'll cling

We have to go wet [?]
By dipping it into [?]
And it's wet and it's soggy
It makes us feel groggy
And there's mice in that dirty old barn
[Chorus]

[Verse 3]
Oh dear me poor head it sings
[?] three strings
But me threads keep a-breaking
My poor back is aching
[?] I wish I had wings

Sometimes a shuttle flies out
And gives some poor woman a clout
There she lies a-bleeding
With nobody heeding
And who's going to carry her out?

[Chorus]

[verse 4]
The [?]
But he'd rather sit on his bum
And we know he's been busy
[?] our Lizzie
[?]

Our Lizzie is easily led
I reckon he takes her to bed
[?]
Now look at her [?]
[?]
[Chorus]