A Drunken Man's Praise of Sobriety

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"A Drunken Man's Praise of Sobriety" is a poem written by the Irish poet William Butler Yeats. It is featured as a song on the bonus disk of Elvis Costello's album Brutal Youth.

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Come swish around, my pretty punk,
And keep me dancing still
That I may stay a sober man
Although I drink my fill.
Sobriety is a jewel
That I do much adore;
Though drunkards lie and snore.
O mind your feet, O mind your feet,
Keep dancing like a wave,
And under every dancer
A dead man in his grave.
No ups and downs, my pretty,
A mermaid, not a punk;
A drunkard is a dead man,
And all dead men are drunk.