An Ode to Worcestershire and her People

This land of ours once dreamt a place,

And called to our forebears to base

New settlements upon the Severn’s banks;

And here, we give those pioneers our thanks.

It’s Worcestershire you seeded;

This place which England needed.

For who can live without a heart?

Right now, we’re proud to state our part:

If Worcestershire’s the heart, then we’re the beat

You’ll hear in all her towns, on every street.

This land is an enigma, though,

To those whose radars may not show

Provincial towns or cricket grounds; of course,

They think that Worcestershire is just a sauce!

We mention Worcester pears?

They give us vacant stares!

But even they know Hope and Glory,

Whose notes sing out our county’s story.

The truth revealed for all to see unfurled:

The place which put her stamp upon the world.

This land of ours we hold so dear

Within our hearts – this Worcestershire –

Is where we found the loves which built our lives:

Our friends, our homes, our husbands and our wives.

This land breathes the profound:

Those hills, that vale, this ground

We stand upon throughout life’s day.

We are as one when we all say,

“In Worcestershire, we’ll live for all our years!”

Proclaiming it so everybody hears.