What’s hell on earth? It’s getting up early

An even more ludicrous thing to do

As winter draws in, dark, cold and surly

Bed’s better, with an extra dream or two

Imagine the days of TB and flu

When factory hands and miners had to rise

By candlelight or gas lamp, no chance to

Relax with a coffee; out under skies

Blacker than the soot that would soon comprise

Their outermost skin; breathing in swirling

Dark clouds till lunchtime’s cigarette and brew

But the real sin was alcohol, advised

The preacher, warning of the hell to be

When it was a place they were going through

I'm knackered from getting up early this morning to catch a train to Liverpool. It was a nice sunny day, at least. Anyway, to make myself feel better, I compared it to the horrors of time past, when things were far worse...