"When I am an old woman
I shall wear purple
With a red hat that doesn't go
And doesn't suit me
And I shall spend my pension
On brandy and summer gloves
And satin sandals
And say we've no money for butter.
I shall sit down on the pavement when I'm tired
And gobble up samples in shops
And press alarm bells
And run my stick along the public railings
And make up for the sobriety of my youth.
I shall go out in my slippers in the rain
And pick the flowers in other people's gardens
And learn to spit.
You can wear terrible shirts
and grow more fat
And eat three pounds of sausages at a go
Or only bread and pickle for a week
And hoard pens and pencils and beermats
And things in boxes.
But now we must have clothes that keep us dry
And pay our rent and not swear in the street
And set a good example for the children.
We will have friends to dinner and read the papers.
But maybe I ought to practice a little now
So people who know me are not too shocked and surprised
When suddenly I am old and start to wear purple."