Abiezer Coppe

[Verse 1]
Abiezer Coppe
Did away with sin
My body is my church he said
Gods dwelling is within
All I do is holy, Abiezer cried
Gave his loving freely
A ranter 'til he died

[Chorus]
So drink a loving cup
To Abiezer, Abiezer
He's a drinking, dancing, roaring ranter
Abiezer Coppe, Abiezer Coppe

[Verse 2]
A pox upon the pious
And on what the scriptures preach
I'd sooner hear a tinker curse
Than hear a vicar preach
Nameless in his pleasures, he drank and smoked and swore
Embracing as his fellow creatures
Beggar, thief and whore

[Chorus]
So drink a loving cup
To Abiezer, Abiezer
He's a drinking, dancing, roaring ranter
Abiezer Coppe, Abiezer Coppe

[Verse 3]
The righteous said the devil
Will take Coppe and his kind
The devil is Gods backside, said Coppe
And hell's a state of mind
Women are the only heaven
Marriage is the only hell
Abiezer Coppe, knew it very well

[Chorus]
So drink a loving cup
To Abiezer, Abiezer
He's a drinking, dancing, roaring ranter
Abiezer Coppe, Abiezer Coppe

[Verse 4]
Through the streets of London , Abiezer came
Heard the hungry cries for bread
He was a soul in pain
When the nobles in their coaches passed he charged with wild eyes, And gnashed his teeth in anger
And roared out to the sky;
How you rich nobles
You will reap soon what you sow
For the day of doom is coming that will lay the mighty low
And your properties will canker
And your houses will decay
And the rust of all your silver
Will burn your flesh away

[Chorus]
So drink a loving cup
To Abiezer, Abiezer
He's a drinking, dancing, roaring ranter
Abiezer Coppe, Abiezer Coppe

[Verse 5]
Community in all things, Abiezer said
The naked shall have clothing
The hungry shall have bread
The great man jails the compass
The rich man starves the poor
Without property, said Abiezer, death would be no more

[Chorus]
So drink a loving cup
To Abiezer, Abiezer
He's a drinking, dancing, roaring ranter
Abiezer Coppe, Abiezer Coppe

[Verse 6]
Accused by church and parliament, attacked on every side
They banned his books and burned them
And he was seized and tried
The magistrates condemned him for vile blasphemy
He pelted them with nutshells crying 'well you my [?] is free'
And so to jail they took him
The ranters dream was dead
He had no taste for martyrdom, I will repent he said
I banish sin and I have learnt it cannot be denied
That these are sins; greed, tyranny, hypocrisy and pride

[Chorus]
So drink a loving cup
To Abiezer, Abiezer
He's a drinking, dancing, roaring ranter
Abiezer Coppe, Abiezer Coppe

[Verse 7]
Abiezer Coppe, did away with sin
My body is my church he said
Gods dwelling is within
History disowned him
His ghost they cannot kill
It haunts the rich and righteous, drunk and dancing still

[Chorus]
So drink a loving cup
To Abiezer, Abiezer
He's a drinking, dancing, roaring ranter
Abiezer Coppe