On Sussex Downs, where I was bred,
In rains where autumn lanes are red,
Where Aran tumbles in his bed
And dusty gales go by.
Where branches, bare on vert and glen
And merry hills are whitening then;
I drink strong ale with gentle-men,
Which no one can deny, deny,
Which no one can deny, deny.
In cold November off I go,
And turn my face against the snow;
And watch the wind where ere it blow,
Because my heart is high.
‘Till I settle me down in Steyning to sing
Of the girls I’ve met in my wandering;
And all I mean to do in Spring
Which no one can deny, deny,
Which no one can deny, deny.
‘Tho times be hard and fortunes tough,
The ways be foul and the weather rough;
We are of stout south country stock
Who cannot have strong ale enough
From Crowborough Top to Ditchling Down,
From Hustpierpont to Arundel town,
The girls are fine, the ale is brown;
Which no one can deny, deny,
Which no one can deny, deny.
![](https://www.menofthewest.net/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/Sussex-Pub.png)
Sussex Drinking Song (Words by Hilaire Belloc)
3 Comments
Leave a Reply
Latest from Culture
![](https://www.menofthewest.net/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/burnit-480x384.jpg)
Dangerous Left Wing Rhetoric
On Saturday, July 13, 2024, an assassin came within inches of murdering Donald Trump on a live broadcast. Democrat talking heads immediately split into two camps: some said Trump staged the shooting
![](https://www.menofthewest.net/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/Sof1-480x384.jpg)
Movie Review: Streets of Fire
Underrated. Yes, the acting is forced, the lines are flat, the sets limited, but it makes up for it by being awesome. It's more of a modern Western than anything.
![](https://www.menofthewest.net/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/silentcal-474x384.jpg)
Calvin Coolidge on Independence Day
Speech Given July 1926 We meet to celebrate the birthday of America. The coming of a new life always excites our interest. Although we know in the case of the individual that
![](https://www.menofthewest.net/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/Edward-the-Black-Prince2-480x384.jpg)
Edward the Black Prince
"Valiant and gentle...the flower of all chivalry in the world at that time.”
![](https://www.menofthewest.net/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/revolu-480x384.jpg)
The Weimar Years – Part 5
Summary of the German Revolution, 1918-1919.
5
A little research would have shown that the river in the second line is the Arun, not the Aran. You got the other place-names right, though!
A little research would have shown that the river in the third* line is the Arun, not the Aran. You got the other place-names right, though! *sorry, lost count!