I really like the brothers Marx:
Groucho, Chico, Harpo,
Fact I like all the brothers Marx,
Gummo and Zeppo too;
They’re very funny fellas,
(And comic story tellers),
But Karl’s by far the funniest of this all-Kosher crew.
Duck Soup and Monkey Business
Always get a big ovation,
But they’re not half as silly
As “negation of negation”.
That Groucho really is a wit,
And Harpo is an arse,
But funniest puns
Are Karl-o’s ones
About the working class.
Like: liberate the underdog,
Form unions and strike,
Gang up against the oligarchs
And tell them: “On yer bike!”
And “Workers of the world unite!
You’ve naught to lose but chains.”
So give all power to the State,
Then everybody gains.
His followers are funny men
As well, like Vladimir,
He lied with tongue in cheek,
Yet not once raised a quizzing sneer.
And Uncle Joe, he took
The Russian nation for a ride,
He preached world peace and freedom
While he practised genocide.
Yes, Karl Marx and his acolytes
Are very funny blokes,
Just think of all the millions
Who’ve died laughing at their jokes.
[The above was first published in the 1987 anthology We’re Coming For Your Telecom Shares.]
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