Iron-clad feather-feet pounding the dust
              
              
                An October's day, towards evening
              
              
                Sweat embossed veins standing proud to the plough
              
              
                Salt on a deep chest seasoning
              
              
                Last of the line at an honest day's toil
              
              
                Turning the deep sod under
              
              
                Flint at the fetlock, chasing the bone
              
              
                Flies at the nostrils plunder.
              
              
                 
              
              
                The Suffolk, the Clydesdale, the Percheron vie
              
              
                with the Shire on his feathers floating
              
              
                Hauling soft timber into the dusk
              
              
                to bed on a warm straw coating.
              
              
                 
              
              
                Heavy Horses, move the land under me
              
              
                Behind the plough gliding --- slipping and sliding free
              
              
                Now you're down to the few
              
              
                And there's no work to do
              
              
                The tractor's on its way.
              
              
                 
              
              
                Let me find you a filly for your proud stallion seed
              
              
                to keep the old line going.
              
              
                And we'll stand you abreast at the back of the wood
              
              
                behind the young trees growing
              
              
                To hide you from eyes that mock at your girth,
              
              
                and your eighteen hands at the shoulder
              
              
                And one day when the oil barons have all dripped dry
              
              
                and the nights are seen to draw colder
              
              
                They'll beg for your strength, your gentle power
              
              
                your noble grace and your bearing
              
              
                And you'll strain once again to the sound of the gulls
              
              
                in the wake of the deep plough, sharing.
              
              
                 
              
              
                Standing like tanks on the brow of the hill
              
              
                Up into the cold wind facing
              
              
                In stiff battle harness, chained to the world
              
              
                Against the low sun racing
              
              
                Bring me a wheel of oaken wood
              
              
                A rein of polished leather
              
              
                A Heavy Horse and a tumbling sky
              
              
                Brewing heavy weather.
              
              
                 
              
              
                Bring a song for the evening
              
              
                Clean brass to flash the dawn
              
              
                across these acres glistening
              
              
                like dew on a carpet lawn
              
              
                In these dark towns folk lie sleeping
              
              
                as the heavy horses thunder by
              
              
                to wake the dying city
              
              
                with the living horseman's cry
              
              
                At once the old hands quicken ---
              
              
                bring pick and wisp and curry comb ---
              
              
                thrill to the sound of all
              
              
                the heavy horses coming home.