Oliver Cromwell

Lyrics by John Cleese this was originally written for "I'm Sorry, I'll Read That Again" and was later used on "Monty Python Sings" where it was sung by John C. and Eric Idle

John: The most interesting thing about King Charles the First is that he was 5'6'' at the start of his reign, but only 4'8'' tall the end of it. Because of.......

Oliver Cromwell, Lord Protector of Enlgand (Puritan)
Born in 1599 and died in 1658 (September)
Was the first (only)
MP for Huntington (but then)
He led the Ironside Cavalry at Marston Moor
In 1644 and won
Then he founded a new model army
And praise be, beat the Cavaliers and Naisby
And the King fled up North, like a bat, to the Scots

Eric: But under the terms of John Bimm's Solemn League and Coveant the Scots handed King Charles the First over to...

Oliver Cromwell, Lord Protector of England (and his warts)
Born in 1599 and died in 1658 (September)
But alas (Oy Vay!)
Dissagreement then broke out (Between)
The Presbyterian Parliment and the Milatry
Who meant to have an indipendent bent and so
The 2nd civil war broke out
And the Roundhead ranks faced the Cavaliers
And Preston Banks
And the King lost again, Silly thing! (Stupid Git)

Eric: And Cromwell sent Colonel Pride to purge the House of Commons of the Presbyterian Royalists, leaving behind only the rump Parliment.....

Which appointed a High Court at Westminster Hall
To indict Charles the First for
TY-HY-HYR-HYR_ANNY!  (Ooooooohhhhhhh!!!)
Charles was sentenced to death
Even though he refused to admit that the court had
JURIS-DI-ICTION (Say goodbye to his head)
Poor King Charles
Laid his head
On the block (January 1649)
DOOOOWWWNN came the ax (*chop* oooh!)

Eric: And, in the silence that followed, the only sound that could be heard was a solitary giggle from....

Oliver Cromwell, Lord Protector of England (Ole!)
Born in 1599 and died in 1658 (September)
Then he smashed (Ireland!)
Set up the commonwealth (And more!)
He crushed the Scots at Worchester
And beat the Dutch at sea in 1653 and then,
He dissolved the rump Parliment

(And now he starts singing higher and higher and higher and it gets quite silly)

And with Lambert's consent
Wrote the instrument of government
Under which Oliver was Protector at last
THE END!!