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The Song of The Shirt
By Thomas Hood
1843
Thomas Hood (1799-1845) was an English poet who is often remembered for his poem “The Song of the
Shirt.” In this poem, Hood writes about the inhumane working conditions of England’s poor. As you read,
take notes on the effect of Hood’s word choice and figurative language on the poem's overall message.
[1]
[5]
[10]
[15]
[20]
With fingers weary and worn,
With eyelids heavy and red,
A woman sat in unwomanly rags,
Plying her needle and thread—
Stitch! stitch! stitch!
In poverty, hunger, and dirt,
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And still with a voice of dolorous pitch
She sang the “Song of the Shirt.”
“Work! work! work!
While the cock is crowing aloof!
And work—work—work,
Till the stars shine through the roof!
It’s O! to be a slave
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Along with the barbarous Turk,
Where woman has never a soul to save,
If this is Christian work!
“Work—work—work,
Till the brain begins to swim;
Work—work—work,
Till the eyes are heavy and dim!
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4
Seam, and gusset, and band,
Band, and gusset, and seam,
Till over the buttons I fall asleep,
And sew them on in a dream!
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2.
3.
4.
"Stitch! Stitch! Stitch! " is licensed under CC BY-NC-ND 2.0.
Dolorous (adjective): sad or painful
Barbarous (adjective): uncivilized
A gusset is an inset piece of fabric.
A strip of material
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[25]
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[35]
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“O, men, with sisters dear!
O, men, with mothers and wives!
It is not linen you’re wearing out,
But human creatures’ lives!
Stitch—stitch—stitch,
In poverty, hunger and dirt,
Sewing at once, with a double thread,
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A Shroud as well as a Shirt.
“But why do I talk of death?
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That phantom of grisly bone,
I hardly fear his terrible shape,
It seems so like my own—
It seems so like my own,
Because of the fasts I keep;
Oh, God! that bread should be so dear.
And flesh and blood so cheap!
“Work—work—work!
My labour never flags;
And what are its wages? A bed of straw,
A crust of bread—and rags.
That shattered roof—this naked floor—
A table—a broken chair—
And a wall so blank, my shadow I thank
For sometimes falling there!
“Work—work—work!
From weary chime to chime,
Work—work—work,
As prisoners work for crime!
Band, and gusset, and seam,
Seam, and gusset, and band,
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Till the heart is sick, and the brain benumbed,
As well as the weary hand.
“Work—work—work,
In the dull December light,
And work—work—work,
When the weather is warm and bright—
While underneath the eaves
The brooding swallows cling
As if to show me their sunny backs
And twit me with the spring.
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6.
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A shroud is a length of cloth or an enveloping garment in which a dead person is wrapped for burial.
Grisly (adjective): horrible
Benumb (verb): to make inactive
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“O! but to breathe the breath
Of the cowslip and primrose sweet—
With the sky above my head,
And the grass beneath my feet;
For only one short hour
To feel as I used to feel,
Before I knew the woes of want
And the walk that costs a meal!
“O! but for one short hour!
A respite however brief!
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No blessed leisure for Love or hope,
But only time for grief!
A little weeping would ease my heart,
But in their briny bed
My tears must stop, for every drop
Hinders needle and thread!”
With fingers weary and worn,
With eyelids heavy and red,
A woman sat in unwomanly rags,
Plying her needle and thread—
Stitch! stitch! stitch!
In poverty, hunger, and dirt,
And still with a voice of dolorous pitch,—
Would that its tone could reach the Rich!—
She sang this “Song of the Shirt!”
The Song of The Shirt by Thomas Hood is in the public domain.
8.
Leisure (noun): free time
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Text-Dependent Questions
Directions: For the following questions, choose the best answer or respond in complete sentences.
1.
PART A: Which of the following best describes a central theme of the text?
A.
B.
C.
D.
2.
Death is rampant among the working poor.
The lives and working conditions of the poor are inhumane and should be
improved.
Industrial progress improves the lives of thousands, at the cost of a minority.
Fairness and financial equality is an unrealistic ideal.
PART B: Which of the following quotes best supports the answer to Part A?
A.
B.
C.
D.
[RL.2]
[RL.1]
“Work—work—work, / Till the brain begins to swim; / Work—work—work, / Till
the eyes are heavy and dim!” (Lines 17-20)
“But why do I talk of death? / That phantom of grisly bone, / I hardly fear his
terrible shape, / It seems so like my own—” (Lines 33-36)
“When the weather is warm and bright— / While underneath the eaves / The
brooding swallows cling / As if to show me their sunny backs / And twit me with
the spring.” (Lines 60-64)
“A woman sat in unwomanly rags, / Plying her needle and thread— / Stitch!
stitch! stitch! / In poverty, hunger, and dirt, / And still with a voice of dolorous
pitch,— / Would that its tone could reach the Rich!— / She sang this “Song of the
Shirt!”” (Lines 83-89)
3.
Summarize the woman’s working conditions. Cite specific evidence in your
description.
[RL.2]
4.
PART A: Which of the following best explains the mention of death in stanzas 4-5?
[RL.3]
A.
B.
C.
D.
The woman is sewing a shroud and feels jealous of those experiencing eternal
rest.
The woman compares herself to death, for she both resembles a corpse and is
basically working herself to death (thus the shroud).
The woman feels haunted by death because she is ill and feels close to dying.
The woman is grieving over the death of someone in her family.
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5.
PART B: Which of the following quotes best supports the answer to Part A?
A.
B.
C.
D.
6.
7.
C.
D.
[RL.1]
The repetition of the phrase "Work—work—work!"
The comparison of the workers' wages to "A bed of straw, / A crust of
bread—and rags." (Lines 43-44)
The speaker's appreciation for her "shadow," which keeps her company (Lines
47)
The comparison of the workers to "prisoners [who] work for crime!" (Line 52)
Which of the following best describes the poet’s likely purpose for writing this poem? [RL.6]
A.
B.
C.
D.
9.
[RL.4]
To wave at or get the attention of
To show loyalty and patriotism
To slow down or become weaker
To greet or say hello to
PART B: Which of the following features of the poem best supports the answer to
Part A?
A.
B.
8.
"O, men, with sisters dear! / O, men, with mothers and wives! / It is not linen
you’re wearing out, / But human creatures’ lives!" (Lines 25-28)
"Sewing at once, with a double thread, / A Shroud as well as a Shirt." (Lines
31-32)
"But why do I talk of death? / That phantom of grisly bone" (Lines 33-34)
"I hardly fear his terrible shape, / It seems so like my own— / It seems so like my
own, / Because of the fasts I keep" (Lines 35-38)
PART A: What does the word "flag" most likely mean as used in line 42?
A.
B.
C.
D.
[RL.1]
To praise the glories of the industrial revolution
To tell the story of a poor working woman
To describe and sympathize with the unfortunate circumstances of those living
in poverty
To advocate the institution of a minimum wage
How does the use of repetition in the poem contribute to its central theme(s)?
[RL.5]
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Discussion Questions
Directions: Brainstorm your answers to the following questions in the space provided. Be prepared to
share your original ideas in a class discussion.
1.
Do you think the speaker earns fair wages? Why or why not? What is “fair,” according to
you?
2.
After reading this poem, how do you think the working conditions today are different than
they were in the 19th century? What brought about these changes?
3.
Who do you think is the likely audience for this poem? Do you think writing poetry is an
effective way to incite social change? Explain your answer.
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