Abiezer Coppe

Abiezer Coppe
Did away with sin
"My body is my church" he said
"God's dwelling is within"
"All I do is holy", Abiezer cried
Gave his loving freely
A ranter 'til he died

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

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


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

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

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

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 skies;
How you rich, you nobles
You will reap soon what you sow
For the day of doom is coming that will lay the mighty low
And your property will canker
And your houses will decay
And the rust of all your silver
Will burn your flesh away


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

Community in all things, Abiezer said
The naked shall have clothing
The hungry shall have bread
The great man jails the cut purse
The rich man starves the poor
Without property, said Abiezer, debt would be no more

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

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 'will you my judges be?'
To Newgate jail they took him
The ranter's dream was dead.
He had no taste for martyrdom, I will recant he said
I banish sin and I have erred it cannot be denied
That these are sins: greed, tyranny, hypocrisy and pride.

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

Abiezer Coppe, did away with sin
"My body is my church" he said
"God's dwelling is within"
History disowned him
His ghost they cannot kill
It haunts the rich and righteous, drunk and dancing still

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